The Clumsy Square and the Lady Fair
by Juni Onigiri
Summary: This is the story of Iida Tenya, top student of UA Boys Academy, renowned athlete, infamously square in shape and personality, and how his life changes after he helps a girl from Shiketsu Girls High School from being harassed by a group of perverts on the commuter train. (IidaMomo Trainman AU!)
1. Take The A-Train

**The Clumsy Square and the Lady Fair  
**Chapter 1: Take The A-Train

* * *

Our story, simply put, is a love story between two high schoolers who meet, become friends, go through the tumultuous confusion of puberty, and eventually fall in-love. Like most stories worth telling, the events that lead to the lovely outcome isn't as smooth and easy as it sounds.

This comes much to the chagrin of our main character, who wears square glasses and runs in straight, measured lines, and as such spent his childhood running into walls and breaking his glasses because he doesn't know how to change directions. But as he is about to learn, the best things in life occur off the beaten path.

Our hero's name is Iida Tenya, 15 years old. He is an impressive first year high school student at the prestigious UA Boys' Academy. It is a well renowned school with various opportunities for sports and science engineering scholarships. (Were it a different universe, we're sure that heroes would choose this school to fast-track their careers into the world of pros!)

Impressively, our main character got into this prestigious school with no problems. In fact, he is the number one student in his class and the class president, and is the track team's ace, carrying the fastest record for the hundred meter dash.

For a boy with his credentials, you'd think he'd have the unique problem of getting love letters in his school locker everyday, or receiving a table full of chocolates from many cute girls every Valentine's day. Unfortunately, as mentioned before… this is an all-boys' school. And even though Iida Tenya-kun is classified as one of the _ikemen _group in 1A because of his looks, he is surprisingly, severely…

…unpopular.

His fellow students like him enough as Class President, but are quick to point out that he's too stiff and stern or that he talks like an old man or he's got a weird way of being fired up and why do his arms do that thing?

(You know, the thing when he chops his hand down like a director's clapperboard? Or the thing that goes down in the parking lot right before you pay your parking fee? That one.)

Bakugou Katsuki-kun, the top 2 student in their class, as well the top 1 in distemper and volatility, eloquently regarded him as such: a **Square**. A Square in shape, a Square in personality, and a Square in everything he does. Being Bakugou, he says it with more unreasonable expletives than warranted. Iida-kun doesn't like it very much, but he has to admit, the square shoe fits too well.

It's distinctive enough that Iida Tenya-kun isn't regarded by his many classmates as a romantic prospect or a future rival, which is fine by him, because romance with a boy or a girl is the farthest thing from his mind. But he also isn't taken seriously a lot of the time, which he minded a lot. He likes his classmates well enough, but nary a day passes that he isn't laughed at for his different way of doing things.

At the end of the day, despite all the challenges that accompany a square existence, Iida Tenya-kun is happy the way he is. After all, he has acquaintances and those he even dared to call close friends. Namely, Midoriya Izuku-kun, the top 3 student of their class, and Todoroki Shouto-kun, the top 4 student of his class, who both like him well enough to tolerate his karate chops and spontaneous declamations about cleanliness and timeliness. Like regular kids his age, they walk to school together, eat lunch together, go to Akihabara together on those occasions where Midoriya-kun wants to buy some figurine or another, eat at the familiar soba shops that Todoroki-kun likes to frequent, and walk back to the dorms together before curfew every single weekday.

It's a routine that's nice. Comfortable. Predictable. On odd days that he feels the pang of loneliness, he reminds himself that he has too many responsibilities like class rep work and academics and the track team and living up to his brother's name to really worry about being 15 years old and single for the same number of years.

He's… happy the way he is. Perfectly happy as a Square, fitting in the square-shaped future he plotted out for him on a clean, precise sheet of graphing paper. There's no reason for him to change his shape.

That is, until the world decides to change his shape for him. (Cue suspenseful music. Iida-kun suggests the first few notes of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.)

* * *

On the day that our story begins, he is in a rush trying to reach the dorms before curfew at 2100 hours. He's had a long day of working on class representative matters, training with the Track Team, and cleaning out the 1A classroom for a second time (which he tends to do when Kaminari-kun and Monoma-kun are assigned that day's cleaning duties). After that, he's had to rush to the Kiyashi Ward Mall, where they are selling the limited edition Ingenium Recipro Boost running shoes.

(It is extremely necessary because it is the only running shoes appropriate for track. When it comes to running shoes, you shouldn't settle for anything but the best!)

Before he realizes it, it is already 2032 hours and his dormmate Midoriya-kun is already asking where he is. He makes a run for the train and barely makes the 2045 train headed for the UA Campus.

At this time of the evening, there aren't many fellow students on the train, and the carriages aren't that full. All the seats are taken, mainly by tired salarymen, housewives who did their shopping, and a few elderlies who are seated with their eyes on the floor.

And then, out of nowhere, as if he's fated all along to do so… his eyes fall quite naturally on someone special. (It is this moment that his life probably changes).

The girl is a fellow student, just like him. The first thing he notices about her is her aura, an elegance he cannot quite explain by her appearance alone. Her eyes are dark like ebony, but bright with intelligence as they scan through an English copy of Stephen Hawking's _A Brief History of Time. _Her hair is similarly dark and shiny, neatly tied behind her head in a ponytail that fell in a curious, spiky spiral that only makes her look more distinctive. Her posture is _impeccable _-he's _sure _that her upbringing was similarly refined, just by looking at the way she sat. She is wearing a blazer and a dark skirt that Iida-kun identifies as the Shiketsu Girls' High School uniform.

And… she looks up at him briefly, a curious look in her eyes.

Oh dear. He might have been staring a tad too long. He instantly averts his eyes and focuses on the floor and tries hard not to blush. Inevitably, he feels his ears getting warmer and his palms getting sweaty and any minute now his glasses might fog. How embarrassing.

For the first time in his life, Iida-kun thinks of this sentence, in reference not to a Italian Renaissance fresco (such as the likes of Raphael's _The School of Athens _), but to an actual human person:

_How… breathtaking! _

And almost immediately he fights the urge to karate-chop his own face in shame. _Iida-kun, do not pick up Kaminari-kun's unseemly habit of ogling at females! _he berates himself, as he trains his eyes outside the train, instead.

His stop is five stations away. This breathtaking girl is likely going to get off at a different station, and he'll probably never get to see her again. It's a little sad, he admits, but it's not like he has the means or the will to introduce himself to her under these circumstances… he just has to get a hold of himself and stop staring.

But the universe isn't done with Iida-kun just yet. Looking back, this must be the second moment when his life inevitably changes.

"Heya, heya, hey-yaaaa! Three Sturm Und Drang Brothers comin' yer wayyy-ya!"

Three shady-looking individuals clad in tight, dark outfits and identical black beanies enter the carriage, swaggering left and right. A strong stench, which is probably a mixture of alcohol and cigarette smoke, wafts from their general direction.

Including Iida-kun, everybody else on the carriage clamps their nostrils shut with their hands and give in to the impulse to face the floor and avoid all eye contact.

"Where the pretty ladies at, yo-? Come out, come out, and have a good time with us!"

_Despicable ruffians! How shameful! _Iida-kun rants silently. He hears his pulse throbbing angrily in his head, and feels his teeth clench. Somebody needs to do something about this!

But for all the angry thoughts in Iida-kun's head, he keeps his head down.

"Whaa? Bro, looks like we got the wrong carriage, huuuh?" Iida-kun hears one obnoxious voice say, followed by an ominous chuckle. "What is this, the elderly car? There're only haggard housewives and grannies and ugly old salarymen here, wuuut?"

He peeks a little to observe their rampage. He sees them appraise all the women in the car one by one, leering at them in the face with a sickening grin. The salarymen, all able-bodied men who are seated near the perverts, are obviously aware of what's happening, and do nothing else but keep their eyes down.

_What are these adults doing? Isn't anybody going to do anything about this?! _He feels his fist tighten a little more, but again, he keeps his head down. _Iida Tenya! Maybe you should do something about this! If nobody will do the right thing, doesn't the duty befall on YOU? _

"Man, and I thought we'd have another panty run tonight. This blows! Looks like we're at the boring part of town…"

_What would your older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency, do in this situation?! Don't let him down! Be brave! Be Brave! _

"Oh ho ho! Bros! I found a beaut right here!"

He suddenly hears a high-pitched squeak, followed by the sound of somebody being pulled up to their feet. Iida-kun's head snaps upward, all apprehensions magnifying to worrisome degrees.

"Oh lordy! We hit the jackpot here!"

To his horror, the perverts now had the Shiketsu High girl in their grubby grasps. The tallest of the trio holds her by the arm, causing her to drop Professor Hawking's book to the floor. The other two leer at her, pushing their faces very, very close to her personal bubble.

"Hey, cutie? What's your name? Come on, don't be a snob. Smile for me, won't ya?"

_Someone… someone has to help… somebody? Anybody? _A quiet rage, one that our main character has not felt before ever in his fifteen long years of life, begins to build up in his chest.

"Help me, please!" The girl manages to cry, to which the pervert trio around her only whoops in false offense.

Suddenly, he loses all impulse to keep his head down any further. "You FIENDS! You perverts! Sexual harassers! Let her go this instant!"

Before he even realizes that it is _his _voice booming out all over the carriage, and it is _his _loud footsteps thundering towards the scene, he is already there, facing off against the surprised perpetrators and the terrified girl.

"Oh~ is that so, _aniki? _" The tallest one isn't even fazed, even when Iida-kun attempts to puff out his chest and appear as the most intimidating square as he could be. He turns to the girl, who whimpers as his unpleasant mug is again near her face. "Oh, I know what you want! You want _onee-chan _here for yourself, huh? Too bad, we got dibs on her!"

Within the next instant, the other two perverts rush to both sides. Caught by surprise, the usually sturdy Iida is suddenly falling to the ground. He flinches and groans as two of the Sturm Und Drang brothers make quick work of him, stomping him and kicking him until his body started screaming in pain. He hears the muffled gasps and cries of all the other passengers, but not a single one of them stands up, or even dares to look.

He shields his face with his arms when the perverts attack his 'nerd-glasses' next. Even then, he sees the despairing look in the Shiketsu girl's face, as the pervert's tongue goes nearer and nearer her skin…

"Freeze!"

In the next instant, Iida realizes that the stomping and kicking has stopped, and instead three frenzied yells from above him ring out. Within the next ten seconds, he hears a series of precise fists hitting gasping flesh, clicking noises, and the huff of a job well done.

Stunned, he sees an arm reach out to him. He takes it and sees a handsome face smiling down on him. "It's all right now, buddy," he says, as he pulls him up to a standing position.

The Shiketsu girl is still shaking, but she is now standing behind the man and at a safe distance from the perverts, who are now handcuffed together on the floor. They seem to have the breaths knocked out of them and didn't have the energy to look at the mysterious helpful stranger with consternation.

The passengers seem to awaken from their stupor and have exploded in thunderous applause, all thanks of course to the stranger. Not knowing what else to do, the beat-up high school boy bows his head to him. "Thank you," Iida supplies weakly.

"No, thank _you, _" the stranger says, reaching out to shake his hand. "If you didn't yell at the harassers back then, I wouldn't have known there was trouble from the other car."

He then looks at the girl, who is still stunned and shaking in silence. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and nods. "How about you, miss? Are you all right?"

The glazed look in her eyes dissipates briefly. "O-Oh! Y-yes, I am n-now." As if just snapping back to her senses, she bows low in front of the stranger and says, "Thank you very much for saving me from them! You're my hero!"

Somehow, the way she says _hero _rings in Iida's head and lingers there. An unexplained emotion creeps into his heart.

The stranger laughs it off and shakes his head. "Oh, no, it's my job. See, I'm a police officer. Well, an off-duty one, but a police officer just the same." He reaches into his pocket and shows them his ID and badge. "I'm Inspector Tsukauchi Naomasa."

Iida's jaw drops. A police officer! Just like his beloved older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency! No wait, he's even more specialized than that, he's an Inspector! A higher ranking! His glasses shine in respect. Police officers are just too cool!

Not like him, who was definitely uncool just a while ago. He feels his glasses fog in shame.

"And I'll have to ask you two to hop off with me on the next station," he continues as he walks closer to the apprehended perverts. When he regards the look of horror on the high school students' faces, he laughs. "No, I'm not going to arrest you two. But I do need your statements, and I need to make sure you two are safe. All right?"

The two high school students nod in relief.

* * *

Later on, they follow Inspector Tsukauchi to the nearest police station. After he makes sure that the Three Sturm Und Drang brothers are spending the night behind bars, he listens to the two students as they share their sides of the story.

Thus, Iida-kun learns some things about the girl. Probably the most important one is her name: Yaoyorozu Momo.

(_Yaoyorozu Momo _. He repeats it in his head, imagines himself drawing the characters of her name using the finest brush, loaded with the finest ink, on the finest sheet of paper. It is a name that evokes images of sweet summer fruits and falling cherry blossoms.

Ah, but he digresses.)

Like him, she is a first year high school student. She left school late because she had class rep duties, had to tutor a few other girls from her class, and had extra work to do with the Classical Music club. While usually she would have someone from home pick her up from school, today she decided to commute by herself.

"So it's your first time commuting by train. I'm sorry that it had to be so traumatic for you," says Inspector Tsukauchi emphatically.

She nods pensively. "I thought it would be a good experience for me to be independent. I was so excited to purchase and use my very own PASMO card, too… I suppose I should have been more careful, or more firm with them not to touch me… in the end, I even got a fellow high school student involved… this is my fault, isn't it?"

Inspector Tsukauchi smiles comfortingly. "Don't blame yourself. You and Iida-kun here are both unfortunate victims of these deviants. They're rather notorious in the Naruhata district for panty theft."

"How despicable!" Iida says for the fifth time that evening. "How vile! How unforgivable! Yaoyorozu-kun, you have nothing to apologize for! These scoundrels deserved to be beaten up by Inspector Tsukauchi, and more!"

"Indeed," agrees the Inspector, nodding solemnly. He closes a folder full of precise notes. "Well, that's about all that I need from you two. Thank you very much for your assistance. For safety's sake, I'll escort the two of you home."

"No, I can't possibly-my family will-"

"We have imposed enough, Inspector-"

"Now now," says the Inspector as he stands up and slips on a long, tan coat. Iida thinks it makes him look like a proper detective. All he needs is a deerstalker hat and a pipe and he's practically Sherlock Holmes. "It's late, and I don't want to take any risks. Besides, Iida-kun," he nods at dark haired boy with a knowing smile in his eyes, "Sergeant Iida would probably tell me off if I didn't see to it that you're safe. He's a friendly guy, but he isn't afraid to be straightforward against his superiors, you know."

Iida feels his mouth open into a perfect rectangle. Of course this impressive Inspector Tsukauchi Naomasa would know his impressive older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency too! "Ah, o-of course _nii-san _wouldn't be so disrespectful as to do that without any good reason-"

"Exactly." Inspector Tsukauchi puts on a proper fedora and gestures the two of them to follow him out.

They get on Inspector Tsukauchi's car, a no-nonsense black Camry, with Iida in the passenger seat and the Shiketsu High girl sitting elegantly at the back. He wonders briefly what the Inspector was doing on the train in the first place, if he had a car after all… but perhaps, it's none of his business.

Through the rear-view mirror, he watches Yaoyorozu put on her seat belt as she ought to (how respectable! Of course a proper girl like her has proper safety habits!). He sees her sigh quietly in exhaustion, or perhaps in a sense of relief. Her onyx eyes flutter closed as the engine starts.

"Iida-kun?" Tsukauchi calls from the other side, forcibly removing his eye contact against the mirror. "Seat belt, please."

Ah. AH! Iida, how shameful! How irresponsible! Do not be so entranced by this girl that you forget basic road etiquette and safety! He fumbles with the seat belt momentarily and tries to keep the redness on his cheeks to behave.

Luckily, Yaoyorozu only smiles benignly at his buffoonery. Inspector Tsukauchi also smiles a little teasingly and pulls them out to the driveway. "So, I suppose I'll drive Yaoyorozu-san home first?"

Yaoyorozu answers, "Oh, I live a little far away… perhaps Iida-kun lives closer?"

"He lives on the UA campus dorms," answers Tsukauchi, surprising Iida, who didn't tell him where he lived yet. He wonders briefly how he knew, then concluded that it was perhaps Tensei who told the Inspector. He worries briefly how close the two officers are, and if he would be in trouble with his brother if he hears of the trouble that occurred that evening.

"Oh. That is far away." The girl then obliges to tell the Inspector her address. A strange look of enlightenment crosses over Yaoyorozu's bright face, and a small smile grazes her graceful mouth. Oh, what a refreshing sight after a long day!

They spend a quiet fifteen minute drive, with only the sound of soft rock and the 10 PM traffic as accompaniment. Iida finds his eyes darting automatically to the rear view mirror and sees Yaoyorozu's profile softened by the reflection of the passing city lights through the window.

He starts to feel a foreign feeling on his insides, something rather difficult to describe. If he were forced to, he might say words such as 'soft,' 'fluffy,' 'warm'. Like perfectly square, bright red, fuzzy dice that one typically hangs over rearview mirrors. (Oh Iida-kun, can't you imagine anything else outside the shape of a square?) Ah, but there's something akin to tumult as well, enmeshed messily with the warm feelings. If he were to be very honest, Iida was concerned that he might be catching an odd illness.

_But I've always had an acute constitution not prone to illness, _he thinks in worry. As if feeling the weight of his gaze, Yaoyorozu turns and glances back at him briefly through the mirror.

He forces his eyes away from the mirror again before he is able to read her expression.

"Inspector, if you would make a right turn there," he hears her say, as they approach a street lined with fancy street lamps and manicured shrubberies. "My home is along this street right here."

"All right. Which one?"

"It's the only one in this area," says Yaoyorozu nonchalantly, causing the other two in the car to do a simultaneous double take.

True enough, they see that the entire block is just one property. A French Rococo-style gate and fence set up surrounds a sprawling garden and a mansion that reminded Iida of the Chateau de Versailles. The gates swing open automatically, and Yaoyorozu has to urge the stunned Inspector to drive the car inside the property.

_Is… is she a princess? The sister of the Emperor? A relative of the Prime Minister? The daughter of the queen of a small independent island in the Pacific who just happens to be boarding here? _He tries not to be too bewildered at the flagrant displays of wealth scattered here and there, such as fountains, marble statues of nymphs and faeries, and fountains with marble statues of nymphs and faeries.

_This is the sort of place where they hold cotillions and charity galas and all the like! _Considering her upbringing, it's amazing that Yaoyorozu-kun's humility is such! An image of the girl-a proper lady of the court-in a breathtaking Cinderella-style ball gown rises in his mind.

Yaoyorozu gently makes her way out of the car, looking a little embarrassed at the looks of surprise on the two men's faces. "Thank you very much, Inspector Tsukauchi and Iida-kun," she says, bowing politely. "I am thankful to you both that I reached home safely tonight."

_But all I did was yell in the train and be beaten up by a group of hooligans, _Iida thinks, more embarrassed than ever before. How unfortunate that Yaoyorozu-kun had to trouble herself with a square-shaped buffoon such as he! All he is able to manage is a weak nod.

"It's nothing," says Inspector Tsukauchi with impressive dignity. "Please show my business card to your parents and let them call me if they have any other concerns."

"I will!"

They leave the ostentatious mansion after that, with Iida staring at the delicate wave of her hand behind all the marble statues. She eventually disappears quietly behind a closed door, where a proper butler in a suit is patiently waiting for her.

"Amazing, _ne, _Tenya-kun?"

"Yes. Yaoyorozu-kun is definitely amazing."

Tsukauchi laughs heartily at this. "I was talking about the mansion, but sure. Yaoyorozu-san seems like a good student."

By this time, Iida's jaw pops open at the words that he unwittingly uttered to the amused Inspector. "O-o-of course th-that's what I m-meant, Inspector!" His hands come up in front of him beyond his control, chopping this way and that defensively. "A good student! Eloquent and graceful and modest and very undeserving of tonight's events! It is unfortunate that she had to go through such a harrowing experience and I wish her safety and further success in her studies!"

Inspector Tsukauchi laughs again. "Tenya-kun, don't take this the wrong way, but… you aren't used to girls, are you?"

Iida does not have a reason to deny this, and wonders why he would take such a straightforward fact the wrong way. "You are indeed correct, Inspector! I had always been enrolled in exclusive private schools since elementary school, as per the preference of my parents! The only female in my immediate family is my mother! Furthermore, outside of school, which is again strictly for males, I tend to spend my time with my brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency, who is also your colleague!"

"... I figured," Tsukauchi says. Iida wonders why he gives a sigh after his statement. "Well, that's fine. You know, your brother ought to be proud of your actions tonight. It was a very gallant thing you did for a total stranger on the train."

Gallant. Iida truly likes the sound of the word and the image of a knight in silver armor that it invokes, but disagrees that such a term applies to him. "… I… didn't do anything, Inspector. I _couldn't _do anything. I was worthless. If you weren't there, I'm afraid that they really would have taken Yaoyorozu-kun to a seedy brothel of some sort…"

The policeman ignores his tirade and shakes his head. "You stood up for her. And risked your neck for her, even though you didn't know who she was. She and I and the others on the train appreciate what you've done. The world could use more heroes like you."

_Heroes. _Again, Iida likes the sound of the word. He looks out the window and mulls over the word. _I wonder... is it possible for a square like me to become a hero? _

* * *

Before he realizes it, they are already entering the UA campus. Tsukauchi seems to know his way around the grounds very well and drives them to the Heights Alliance dormitories without asking Iida for directions.

To his surprise, he sees two contrasting figures waiting outside the 1A dorm: the tall, lanky Yagi-sensei, dressed in his trademark loose yellow pinstripe suit, and the shorter, grumpy Aizawa-sensei, who is in his usual all black garb. When Iida steps out of the passenger side, both of them brisk-walk their way to him.

Before Iida can say anything, Aizawa-sensei is closely inspecting his face, his arms, and his back. "… you're hurt," he says gruffly, putting two callused hands against either side of his head and peering at him as if Iida is a jar to be checked for cracks. "… but you're not dead. Or dying."

"I concur, sensei!" the flustered Iida replies, as lively as he is able to. The morose sensei lets go of his head.

"Young Iida! I heard all that had happened from Inspector Tsukauchi!" Yagi-sensei takes his turn fussing over Iida, who by this time has frozen with his forearms at a ninety-degree angle in front of him. "We were so worried about you ! I heard about the brave thing you did, but please, do not worry us like this again!"

Yagi-sensei seems to be close to tears, while Aizawa-sensei has the same, stern look, a little softened by relief. All the attention is a little too surreal for Iida.

"Tenya-kun only did the right thing. Don't tell him off too much." Inspector Tsukauchi has also alighted from the car. He puts a hand on Iida's shoulder, as if in defense.

"My favorite police officer!" Yagi-sensei moves toward the Inspector, as if to hug him, but seemingly stops himself. Instead he puts his hand out for a more formal handshake. "I appreciate all your help, Naomasa-kun. Although, I was waiting for you at the station…"

'Naomasa-kun'? So the good inspector is a close friend of Yagi-sensei? Iida notices Aizawa raise both eyebrows at this interaction as well.

"I am an alumnus of UA as well," explains the Inspector, as if to answer the silent questions of both dark-haired individuals. "Toshi-kun was a good senpai of mine, here and in the Police Academy. I was actually on the way to visit him when I ran into Iida-kun-"

"The Police Academy!" booms Iida before he can stop himself. Yagi-sensei, an aspiring police officer? Why, he never would have imagined! But isn't he the legendary All Might, a popular professional wrestler from the late 90's who even made it as a guest in the WWE? And who subsequently retired after a major illness, and then decided to live out his days as a humble school teacher? How is he a police officer at the same time?

While the Inspector nods, the suddenly reluctant Yagi-sensei looks bashful and stops the discussion by waving two giant hands in front of him. "Let's not dwell in the past for too long, Naomasa-kun. Instead, let me thank you on behalf of the UA faculty and staff for taking care of one of our precious students." The lanky blonde teacher bows politely.

Aizawa-sensei also bows curtly. "The other student is safe?"

Inspector Tsukauchi gestures in the affirmative. "I've updated both Yamada-sensei and Kayama-sensei of Shiketsu High. They shouldn't bother you too much about it anymore." He says the second sentence a little teasingly.

"Somehow I doubt that," Aizawa-sensei grumbles under his breath. "Well, that's that. Thank you again for your service, Inspector." The dark-haired teacher motions for Iida to follow, and they walk to the inside of the dormitories, leaving Yagi-sensei and the Inspector to catch up by themselves.

While it is already past 11 PM, hence way past lights out, Iida is surprised that the lights in the common room are on. Simultaneously, heads of varying colors (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 red and white, and 1 black complete the spectrum, like an incomplete rainbow made of hair) turn to their direction and make their own individual motions of surprise.

"Prez! You're alive!" His more boisterous classmates, Kirishima Eijirou-kun and Kaminari Denki-kun jump on him while making odd groveling sounds and crumpling his already quite-crumpled UA uniform set.

"A-as you can see, I am very much alive! Kindly refrain from excessive fondling!" Iida tries to declare in the most dignified manner he is able to in the midst of their gropes of relief.

"And you're still yourself! Ah, Prez, we thought we lost you!" Kaminari-kun cries dramatically. He shakes Iida until his glasses are askew. "If you're gone, no-one's gonna stop the rest of them from bullying me in the group chat!"

"Nothing's gonna stop that, dude," Sero Hanta-kun deadpans with a toothy grin. He puts a large hand on his shoulder, relief also plain on his face. "I'm glad you're safe though, Prez. You didn't look too okay on the video…"

"The video?" Iida gives them a look of surprise, which in turn is mirrored by the rest of his classmates.

He hears Aizawa-sensei sigh next to him in exasperation, and wordlessly points to where his closest acquaintances Midoriya Izuku-kun and Todoroki Shouto-kun are seated on the couch. A laptop is set up in front of them ominously. As Iida-kun approaches them, Midoriya-kun has an apologetic look on his face. "… this was all over our Facebook feeds a couple of hours ago," explains the green-haired boy as he turns the screen to his direction.

Iida-kun doesn't know how to feel as he watches the video, reposted on the _Overheard in UA _Facebook community by an anonymous user. The video is aptly titled [Scumbags! Notorious Three Sturm Und Drang Perverts Beat Up Glasses Boy!]. It is 47 seconds long, and features all the characters in the title, including the faces of a few horrified housewives in the background.

The video begins when Iida falls on the ground; it seems that his balance was thrown off when one of the smaller Three Sturm Und Drang hit the backs of his knees. Watching how he was kicked repeatedly all over reminds him briefly of the actual bruises on his body, but they do not sting as much as the utter humiliation of having his agony posted online.

But wait! "Midoriya-kun! Kindly replay the video once more!"

Likely a little surprised of his sudden sharp command, the green-haired boy stammers a little and clicks replay.

The video is shaky, obviously taken from the smart phone of a terrified passenger. The faces of the perverts are there, clear as day. Iida's square, bruised face is also very clear-there is no mistaking that it is him, a UA student, and pretending not to be the person in this video would be worthless. At the end of it, one is able to see the back of Inspector Naomasa in his casual clothes, approaching the fattest of the perverts. The video is cut as he pulls them off-screen.

But save for a brief flash of her shoes and legs clad in thick, dark stockings, the other important character of the life-changing event is missing from the video. He scrolls down and quickly scans the comments. While there are people publicly shaming the perverts and taking pity or LOL-ing at our Square-shaped friend, no-one mentioned _her _or her involvement in the entire fiasco.

Thank heavens! Thank all the deities that she is spared from the circus of the comments section! Lord knows that Yaoyorozu-kun does not deserve any further harassment or ill publicity! He sighs and lets himself fall on the floor.

"You look relieved," he hears Todoroki-kun's curious voice cut through his thoughts. His other classmates regard him curiously. "Did you see anything new in the video?"

Iida closes his mouth. He does _not _want Yaoyorozu Momo-kun's involvement to be known. At least not at this time. Perhaps reading his mind perfectly as he is always able to do, Aizawa-sensei comes to his rescue.

"Doesn't matter. We've already asked that website and all the others to take that video down. Since Iida's face isn't censored, it's technically illegal and shouldn't have been uploaded in the first place," the older man says, commanding all the attention to him and away from the laptop. He gives them his standard steely glare and makes everyone shiver. "All right, you lot. It's way past lights out. Don't bother Iida any more about this. We're gonna have a hard enough time helping him keep a low profile as it is."

"Yes sir, Aizawa-sensei!"

The other boys shuffle back upstairs. Midoriya-kun gives another concerned look at Iida, fully intending to speak with him again, before Iida feels Aizawa's hand on his shoulder.

He turns to look at the teacher. As respectable as their strong homeroom teacher is, he always appears tired, but tonight he is tired beyond comprehension. "Iida."

The tone is stern. Iida's heard it being used before against his more boisterous classmates. "Sir. I apologize for my unseemly behavior on that train! It is clearly not befitting of a dignified student of UA, and I am ready for whatever disciplinary actions-"

"Quiet." Immediately, Iida clamps his mouth shut, allowing Aizawa-sensei to sigh tiredly. "The events of tonight aren't ideal, true, but your actions were not… unseemly."

This makes Iida pause for more than a few seconds. Did Aizawa-sensei just… commend him? Such hints of positivity were rarely heard in their logical, objective, and oftentimes harsh teacher's usual speech patterns. This is enough to make Iida feel uncomfortable.

"However, I expect you to have some difficulty because of the publicity this caused," continues the teacher. Perhaps the look of surprise on Iida's face did not escape him, as he returns to his usual authoritative tone. "As such, I advise you to keep as low a profile as possible. I would even advise against talking about the incident to any of your classmates. If such difficulties arise, I expect you to rely on either me or any of the faculty staff here. I prefer you speak to me before anybody else, since I'm your homeroom teacher."

"Yes sir," Iida replies without any fuss.

Aizawa nods, satisfied that he is understood immediately. "We're really lucky that the Yaoyorozu girl wasn't on the video," he mumbles under his breath.

"Sir?"

Iida is a little surprised that the teacher seemed to know about the girl, but then again didn't he know those teachers from Shiketsu High as well? And yet, noting the curious look that must have been on the boy's face, Aizawa-sensei raises an eyebrow at him, a little incredulous. "You mean to tell me you don't know who the girl is?"

He blinks in astonishment. What an utterly odd question to ask someone who's shared such a harrowing experience with the person-in-question! "I know that her name is Yaoyorozu-kun, and that she is a freshman at Shiketsu High."

Now it's Aizawa-sensei's turn to blink. "Well. I suppose it's better this way," is all he says, after a long thoughtful silence. He pats Iida on the shoulder almost fondly-again, another mannerism that appears odd on the stern teacher-and gestures for him to go upstairs. "Let me know if there's trouble. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Y-yes, sensei!"

Moments later, the gruff teacher is gone, and Iida is left by himself to march up the stairs to his room. It has been a long day, and he feels it as he peels off his disheveled uniform, puts on his favourite blue striped pajama set (complete with a stocking cap, for extra comfort), and removes his glasses.

As he lifts off his eye wear from his face, he notices scratches and unseemly smudges-evidences of the day's struggles, proof of many bothersome things that should not have happened to the version of him who knew to stay in his lane. Look, the frame is a little bent, and the lenses are dirtier than he ever imagined. It is odd that he was able to see through them at all!

He instinctively reaches for his glass cleaning cloth from his bedside table, but stops himself. Quietly, as he stares at the bend of light reflecting off the stained lenses, he remembers Yaoyorozu-kun's gentle profile, as her ebony eyes shimmer with the city lights outside the car window.

He sighs, and places the glasses inside his drawer. He has many spare glasses in his room, anyway. Let this pair mark the day that the frames of his square-shaped life finally bent into something… unexpected.

* * *

**AN: **So this has been collecting cobwebs in my WIP folder for a long long time. I figure it's about time I published it :O


	2. Tea For Two

The next school day is only a little unusual. Despite his mild injuries, Iida has little to no trouble getting up from bed, putting on a fresh pair of glasses, and preparing for his day. He makes it to the 1A classroom exactly one hour and six minutes before homeroom. After lining up the tables and chairs in nice, straight lines with measured millimeter precision, he reviews his notes for the classes ahead.

The classroom steadily fills in with the rest of his classmates, each entrance rowdier than the last. As predicted, Kaminari-kun, Kirishima-kun, and even Mineta-kun bombard him with questions about the incident, to which he follows Aizawa-sensei's stern advice and keeps his mouth shut. It isn't until Bakugou-kun tells them to quiet down (in his comfortingly normal expletive-laced explosive manner) that they leave the President be.

Aizawa-sensei makes no other mention of the incident, save for reading Principal Nezu's statement about it to class, which rightfully condemned the actions of the criminals and urged all UA students to be careful and to limit going outside of campus to avoid any further incidents. They proceed to lessons right after, and Iida is grateful for the return of blessed routine.

Despite some meaningful glances and whispers from the other classes ("Is that Glasses Boy?" comprising the majority of them), the day passes by quietly. After track, he is met by Midoriya and Todoroki, who are fresh from volleyball practice.

"Do you want to check out the new soba place nearby?" His friends, thankfully, are working hard to keep up the image of normalcy. They talk about how they're doing for the upcoming sports meet, and how difficult Vlad-sensei's lecture was, and how Midoriya-kun is saving up to buy all of the limited edition All Might figurines that are set to be released in a couple of weeks.

"You still collect All Might figurines up to now?" Todoroki asks after he swallows a mouthful of zarusoba. "Even though we already see Yagi-sensei everyday?"

Midoriya somehow appears bashful and indignant at the same time and struggles not to murmur. "It's _limited edition, _Todoroki-kun! It's featuring his infamously tacky Bronze Age costume when mechas were popular! They modeled it after a Gundam and everything! Is-is it weird that I'm seriously drooling over it right now?!"

The half-haired boy nods nonchalantly mid-slurp, making the green-haired boy flinch. "It's weird. But it's you, so it's not bad."

"Ii-da-kunnn! I'm not weird, right? Right? Todoroki-kun's just being mean, right?"

Iida wonders momentarily what it must feel like to be as invested in a hobby as Midoriya-kun is invested in pro-wrestling, or Todoroki-kun in traditional Japanese culture and cuisine. Apart from running and schoolwork, he isn't interested enough in anything else to call anything his hobby. Not that it troubles him; in fact, not having a hobby gives him plenty of time to steadfastly work on his goal in becoming a proper police officer like his brother.

All the same, he means the next thing he tells the green-haired, self-proclaimed _otaku, _from the bottom of his heart. "It is only a little strange to be excited over a tacky figurine, Midoriya-kun!" Iida declares, to which Midoriya whines and Todoroki chuckles lightly. "But your dedication to your interests is truly commendable! I support you in your goals!"

"Thanks, I guess? Ah, I can't wait to go to Akiba next next week!" Not minding Iida's curious pause, Midoriya gives another bashful laugh and continues to gush about why the Bronze Age All Might is important to his evolution as the Wrestler of Peace.

And just like that, it is just another normal afternoon. It's so normal that Iida feels that the entire ordeal happened to him years ago and not yesterday. Perhaps they never happened at all. Perhaps Yaoyorozu Momo-kun, and her glossy hair, her onyx eyes, and her gentle profile against the city lights shining at the back of the Inspector's car are all a figment of his imagination.

It's fine if Iida never sees her again, he thinks quietly as they make their way back to the dorm. Yaoyorozu-kun is a wonderful, breathtaking person, who definitely doesn't belong in the lonely, square-shaped present and future that Iida's set before him.

"We're home," Midoriya-kun cheerfully announces to anyone who happened to be nearby. Todoroki and Iida follow suit.

"Welcome back." It is Shinsou Hitoshi-kun, the student who transferred from section C to section A, who says this from the common room couches. Monoma Neito-kun and Mineta Minoru-kun are also seated around him, with the smaller of them seated a safe distance from the notoriously strong-willed boys and looking a little more depraved than he usually does.

Monoma, as usual, is smiling like a fox. He directs this cunning smile at Iida. It instantly makes him uneasy. "Hey, Prez, you're finally here. Mineta, can you let go of that package already?"

"No!" The smallest classmate is, for one reason or another, holding a perfectly square parcel. He sniffs this almost possessively and glares at Iida. "I don't understand why the Square Prez, of all people, gets a package like this! It's unfair!"

"Why are you so angry about it, Mineta-kun?" asks Midoriya innocently. "It's just a package…"

The grape-headed boy grumbles and looks at the freckled boy as if he were a petulant child who knew nothing. "'Cause it's obviously from a _girl! _And I bet it's from a _cute _girl, too!"

"But… there's no label on it-" he stammers, and Iida realizes that he is right. While he is sure that an unmarked package is truly suspicious, UA scans all deliveries and takes due identification from all the delivery staff, and so he is sure that the package is safe.

"Duh, Midoriya! Look at this!" He holds the package up to the light, letting it shimmer. "It's obviously not an ordinary package! It's carefully wrapped in crepe paper, in a girly rosy red color, with silver string! There's no department store labels or stickers, so you _know _it's personally wrapped! And since there's no labels, we know that it's not just something that the Prez bought online-"

"Mineta-kun, that's not-"

"And most important of all!" Mineta sniffs the package once more and makes a blissful face, as if he is high on it, "It smells _really, really good. _Like it's been touched by a pretty girl's hands, cradled in her pretty girl lap, and maybe even her b-b-boo-"

"Enough." Todoroki is already beside Mineta. He pulls the package cleanly from his little grubby hands and pushes his face away with one hand when the smaller one tries to take it back.

Within the next moment, Todoroki approaches him, and Iida somehow finds the package in his square hands amidst Mineta's protests. "You traitor! Why are you the first to get a girlfriend!? It isn't fair!" the smallest boy whines, almost at the brink of tears.

"Can you shut up already? It isn't any of your business," Shinsou snaps in irritation. Not a lot of people can stand up to the usually morose, violet-haired transfer student and his intimidating air, and Mineta is one of them. He clamps his mouth shut immediately and sniffs in indignation.

Yet the little grape's question and declaration hangs in the air: Did Iida Tenya-kun, the Squarest of them all, manage to get a girlfriend before anybody else in that particular dorm? Iida knows that given the large group of boys who are forced to spend almost every waking hour with just each other's company and without any girls of their age, it is certainly not the most harmless question one can ask in these quarters. He is lucky that not everyone is home yet.

"Whatever it is, it's the President's business, isn't it?" Ever sly, Monoma is grinning at him and eyes him almost teasingly. "I'm more curious about the _timing _of it. It seems that a lot of special things are happening around the Prez one after another, right?"

"Come on, you guys," Midoriya-kun tries to break the awkward air around the room. "We should leave Iida-kun alone. I mean, like Shinsou-kun said, it's his business and his alone, and-"

"Actually, Midoriya-kun." Iida cuts through his friend's latest ramble, surprising even himself. He is staring at the heavy parcel in his rectangular grasp, an ominous feeling rising from within his chest as he imagines the millions of possible items that may be enclosed in the box.

"I think, regarding this matter… I am in need of your assistance."

The "assistance" turns out to be more than what Iida Tenya-kun has bargained for.

As agreed upon, they regrouped in Iida-kun's orderly room after dinner. As he had asked, Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun are on either side of him, staring at the red box that he placed reverently on a cushion on the floor. By all means, the package is inanimate and harmless, and yet the three of them have seated themselves at a safe five-feet radius from its vicinity.

"… it's really pretty, isn't it? I bet it's expensive, whatever is inside it!" Midoriya says, to break the overbearing silence in the room.

"Yep," answers Todoroki curtly. "But it's really fishy. What if it's a bomb?"

"Come on, there's no way that it's a bomb!" Kaminari says with an incredulous look on his face. He has worn one of Iida's extra glasses, and despite the obvious discomfort of wearing graded glasses, he hovers around them with the most intellectual look he could muster.

… and so the situation is like that. For one reason or another, his other rowdy classmates have weaseled themselves into his room, to also stare at the box with him and to give their unwelcome commentaries. This is against his stern express wishes, which are of course blatantly ignored by the others. Although he supposed that the curious boys who wanted to protect 'the Prez' from further misfortunes only mean well.

"I'm with Mineta on this one! This one is definitely from a girl!" The blonde boy says this a little too excitedly. It is common knowledge that Kaminari Denki-kun fancies himself both a ladies man and a man's man (even though he tends to frequently complain that being single, to quote his own brash words, 'sucks balls'). It doesn't stop him from acting like an expert about these matters, however.

"Mmmph!" Mineta concurs, even as he has somehow become a bundle of duct tape. He is obviously struggling to sniff the box once more, but is being actively held back by Sero. His taller classmate truly deserves all the praise for doing the Lord's work so frequently.

"But a girl? And the Prez?" Sero doesn't mean to be insulting when he says this, but the words make Iida flinch all the same. "There's no way, man. The only time we saw a girl get interested in the Prez was way back in the Science Fair. Remember that crazy Shiketsu girl who used him to demonstrate all those machines?"

"Yeah, the Prez looked like a discount Robocop after it was all over!" the boisterous Kirishima adds, doing a robot dance from his seat for added effect. "I think the funniest thing about it was, you volunteered yourself to do it 'cause you thought she was in trouble! It's 'cause you're such a softy that we love you so much, Prez!"

The redhead embraces him dramatically once more (he seems to enjoy throwing his arms around others) as the rest of the room explodes in snorts and chortles. Iida frowns at this, and not only because the boys are going above the noise limits set by the dorm. He remembers the incident all too well, and he swore to himself since then to be more wary against those wily Shiketsu High girls.

Ah, but the mere mention of Shiketsu brings a different image to his mind now. Instead of the scary, sleep-deprived pink-haired robotics girl with a disheveled uniform, he now remembers ebony hair and onyx eyes and an impeccable posture and the delicate upturn of a beautiful mouth. His heart flutters at the mere memory of it.

"Ah! _Notre president _is blushing!" Aoyama Yuuga-kun, the resident Francophile, points out with a flourish. "You mean to tell us that you are dating the _fille robot_ of Shiketsu?!"

The boys erupt in whoops of disbelief, necessitating a strong karate-chop of denial from our Square Friend. "Of course not! Kindly keep your voices down!" He denies strongly and with offense. "There is no contact at all between us, not after that day!"

"Don't tease Iida-kun with Hatsume-san!" Midoriya says defensively amongst the laughter of the room that refused to die down. "Did you know that he was so traumatized after the science fair that just looking at pink things and robots caused him to palpitate and break into a cold sweat? I think it lasted for a week!"

The green-haired boy means well, but the action only made Iida drown within another round of raucous laughter at his expense. He can only scowl disapprovingly at everyone else.

The door suddenly bursts open, and the animalesque growl that emits after it stuns the room into silence. "The fuck is all this racket?! Some of us are trynna fuckin' get some shut-eye in here!"

"Yo, Bakugou!" Kirishima beams up at his best friend, despite all the profanities. "We're just helping the Prez with the package. See?"

Bakugou Katsuki, in general, is an existence so hot-headed he is unable to get from point A to point B without stomping. He does just that as he approaches the reverently-placed box, making everyone gasp as he roughly handles it by its string. "You stupid fuckers couldn't get this shitty box open without having a noisy nerd conference about it?! What the hell is up with you idiots?!"

"K-k-kacchan!" Midoriya stammers in his usual fashion, irking the explosive blonde even further. "We're being careful with it, 'cause Iida-kun doesn't know who it's from, and-"

"So fucking open the box! What the hell are y'alls waiting for?! The hell Prez?! The number 1 student of UA couldn't manage a simple fucking thing like this?!"

"Bakugou-kun, you misunderstand, we're-" Iida tries to stop Bakugou from pulling on the shiny silver string. But despite his grip on his shoulders and arms, the Rugby-playing blonde doesn't stop. He is truly an unstoppable force.

"If I open this shitty box, you guys are piping the fuck down, right?!" The blonde tears through the carefully wrapped crepe and doesn't stop, even as the other boys whine in physical pain upon seeing the pretty rose red paper get destroyed by the destructive boy's hands. He mutters one expletive after another as the paper is completely torn, to reveal a beautiful orange box.

Iida's eyes widen into bigger squares as the package is revealed. A soft "_Sacre bleu!_" escapes from Aoyama, and he sees the sparkly boy's hands _shake _as they approach the box.

"Aoyama-kun? Why are you acting like that?" asks Midoriya, as the other boys (except the stunned Iida) close in on the box as well.

Nobody stops Aoyama as he takes the box from Bakugou's fiery grasp, places it gently on Iida's desk, and, as if it were a sacred object blessed by a cardinal from the Vatican, opens it carefully. The procession is so slow and precise, Iida almost expects a ray of light to emerge from within the box, like a true McGuffin.

"'Tis true. Genuine." Aoyama gingerly picks up one item and holds it under the light, and whispers, "… Hermes…!"

Everyone stares at him incredulously. Kaminari makes his signature _whey _sound and says flatly, "I don't get it. It's just a tea cup."

Affronted, Aoyama sharply turns to him and sputters a little. "Just a tea cup-how dare you, Denki-kun! You truly have no taste! Hermes makes very fine designer items, including tea sets!" He turns then to Iida-kun and excitedly gushes, "Did you know, Class President? This is the H Deco Rouge porcelain tea set from Hermes Paris! The person who gave this to you truly has an exquisite taste and a generous heart!"

Iida-kun is as lost as the other boys. His knowledge of tableware, designer or otherwise, is extremely limited. And yet, seeing the tasteful tea cup before him, there is little doubt in his mind as to who the sender of the parcel could be.

"So… I mean that's a nice cup and all," Sero says, and Aoyama is insulted of the understatement, "But… is that it? There's nothing else there? No name, no nothing?"

"There does not seem to be anything else in the box, _mes amies,_" Aoyama confirms, after carefully checking the contents of the box. Collectively, the boys in the room make a disappointed sound.

"Damn Prez! I was really rooting for you!" Kirishima slaps him a little painfully at the back. "But as far as secret admirers go, seems like you got a rich one at least, eh?"

"The person's socioeconomic status matters not to me!" Iida says defensively. While it's true that it wouldn't matter to him, in this particular case, it does not matter to him because he knows all too well which echelon of society the sender belongs to. When the boys make another commotion (with Bakugou on the verge of another screaming tantrum), Iida puts on his best Class President facade and karate-chops as authoritatively as he can. "Our curiosities are now somewhat sated, and there is no reason for any of us to disturb Bakugou-kun's sleep cycle any further! I implore everyone now to return quietly to their rooms! Sero-kun, kindly carry Mineta-kun to his room and do not forget to release him!"

"Alright, alright…" One by one, the boys shuffle out of the room, with Kaminari mumbling something about how anticlimactic the entire thing was, and Mineta sniffling about how Bakugou just destroyed all traces of the scent of the girl. Midoriya and Todoroki stay behind, no doubt to help make our square friend make sense of it all, and despite the hour of the night, Iida allows them.

"Yo, Bakugou, you coming or what?" Kirishima asks from the doorway.

It is only then that Iida realizes that the scowling Bakugou has not moved from his previous spot. He glares at the redhead and mutters, "I'll help Glasses clean up the mess."

"... well… alright." Without another word, Kirishima leaves and closes the door quietly behind him.

The three are stunned when Bakugou kneels down to pick up the shredded paper, as he promised. "Bakugou-kun, I do understand that you are a stickler for cleanliness as much as I, but I assure you, I am perfectly capable of-"

"Shut up, shitty Glasses." The hotheaded blonde scowls at him, and then audibly scowls at the nervous Midoriya and the deadpan Todoroki. "These fuckin' nerds all right with you then, huh, Prez?!"

"Wh-what do you mean, Kacchan? Ah!" Midoriya hides behind his arms when Bakugou gnashes his teeth threateningly at him, much like a rabid dog.

Todoroki sighs in exasperation, then turns to the confused Iida. "His lack of eloquence aside, Bakugou's asking if you're okay with me and Midoriya knowing about the letter he stole out of the package just now."

"You wanna fuckin' go, you shitty half-and-half?!" Bakugou lunges threateningly in the unfazed Todoroki's direction. "I'm trynna be fuckin' considerate of fuckin' Glasses here, you icyhot bastard!"

Considerate? Bakugou-kun? What is happening to the world?! Did a major earthquake that threw the Earth off its axis and caused the equivalent of the Ten Plagues pass by unnoticed? What are all these deviations happening from the norm?! Iida feels his head spin.

The boy is looking at him now. He holds out a plain, white envelope in one hand and lets it flap limply against Iida's stunned hand. "I get it, shitty Glasses. This might be something you need to keep under wraps 'cause of the shitty thing that happened to you and all. But fuckin' hell, can't you manage to keep these idiots outta your business without me helping you?!"

Stunned, Iida takes the envelope from Bakugou's grasp. Something is printed on one side of it, which he recognizes as his own name in pretty handwriting.

He feels his heart leap to his throat.

He barely catches on the conversation that continues in front of him. Midoriya's jaw is dropped as he says, "How'd you know that it's related to what happened to Iida-kun on the train, Kacchan?"

Bakugou makes another angry sound. He looks initially reluctant to explain himself, but for some reason, he does anyway. "Weren't you fuckers curious about who those perverts that beat up Glasses here were, and _why _they beat him up in the first place?! 'Cause I sure as hell am! People are complaining about them all over the Internet! They're known to target young girls and steal their underwear!"

Inspector Tsukauchi did mention that the Three Sturm Und Drang brothers were notorious in the Naruhata district for panty theft, so this knowledge comes as no surprise to Iida. But suddenly, he is able to see Bakugou's train of thought very clearly.

Apparently, so is the ever erudite Todoroki. "… so you concluded that Iida was involved with them because he helped one of their victims. And because of the timing of this gift, it must be a thank-you gift from the girl he helped. And because Aizawa-sensei instructed him and the rest of us to keep a low profile regarding the incident, you helped him keep the girl's identity a secret from the rest of the class."

Midoriya's jaw is practically on the floor at this conclusion. Bakugou only makes a _tch _sound, which is probably in the affirmative. The fiery blonde glares at Iida once more and says through gritted teeth, "Oi, Glasses. Try not to be so fucking weak against those idiots next time, a'ight?! This is the last time I'm helping you with this shit."

With that, he stomps his way out of the room, making sure to slam the door as hard as he could behind him. He has to hand it to Bakugou-despite his blatant disrespect for school and dorm property, he is steadfastly righteous. Iida is suddenly reminded of his capability as the class Vice-President, and he feels grateful for it.

But with his exit, the three protagonists come back to the original problem which Iida-kun needs assistance with. Now that Bakugou reiterated the necessity of keeping her identity under wraps, there is suddenly a new reluctance in the air. Midoriya is looking at him carefully, while Todoroki has a questioning glance on him. "Is this… okay with you… Iida-kun?"

He wonders briefly if his two companions have any capability of intentionally or accidentally besmirching Yaoyorozu Momo-kun's name in any way. "… it's all right. I trust you two."

They sit on the floor simultaneously, with Midoriya's green eyes shining excitedly and Todoroki's mismatched eyes monitoring each movement of Iida's hands like a hawk. Iida-kun takes one deep, cleansing breath, and carefully opens the letter.

The paper is a sheet of exquisite stationery with cherry blossoms printed on it. As he unfolds it, a scent that reminds him of spring tickles his nostrils. The same neat handwriting covers the page within precise margins, and even without reading its contents, Iida feels like melting from the commendable penmanship.

He reads the contents of the letter quietly and imagines her voice as he does so:

_To Iida Tenya-kun:_

_Thank you for the kindness and bravery that you showed me last night. Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel when I remember the way you stood up for me in the train, even though nobody else would._

_I know that my gift cannot begin to compensate for the trouble that I have caused. Still, I pray that you accept these kindly. I hope you find good use for them._

_Attached is my mobile number and my e-mail. Please let me know if you receive the gift in good condition._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Yaoyorozu Momo of Shiketsu Girls High School._

Her eloquence is even more than he'd ever imagined. He finds himself reading the letter over and over and practically burns each sequence of words in his mind. His hands shake slightly as they gripped the sides of the sheet, and he has to will himself to not destroy one of the first evidences of Yaoyorozu Momo-kun's existence in his life, and to handle the fragile sheet of paper more gently in his rectangle blocks-for-hands.

Beside him, Midoriya makes an impressed sound. "That's wonderful, Iida-kun! She sounds so nice in the letter! And I don't know why, but I'm sure that she's really pretty in real life, too! You have to send her a text message, quick!"

A text message? A message through mobile phone, one which he has to compose by himself to communicate his honest feelings to the girl? A message that he is sure to botch with his clumsy manner?! Just thinking about it freezes him and turns his entire body grey, like a mindless block of cement.

Midoriya stares at his petrified form and understands his fear of bungling rather quickly. "It's all right, Iida-kun! We'll help you compose the message! Ah, but I don't know how to talk to girls either…" The boy turns red as he begins mumbling about the mystery of girls under his breath. "… but yeah, we'll do our best to help you! Right, Todoroki-kun?"

"..." Todoroki stares at the letter sullenly, for some odd reason. His face is unreadable as he mutters under his breath, "… Yaoyorozu…"

Iida sees the glint of recognition on his colleague's heterochromic eyes. "By any chance, do you know Yaoyorozu Momo-kun personally?"

As he and Midoriya stare at him curiously, Todoroki remains still. A faraway look invades his eyes momentarily before they appear decided. "… I'm not sure. The last name sounds familiar. They might be family friends of my parents," he answers curtly after a beat of silence.

"All right," Iida replies, still unsure of what to make of his strange new expression. Midoriya seems to be curious and concerned as well, but when Todoroki makes no further attempt to explain, Iida decides that it is time to move on. "I suppose I should begin the message by saying that the tea cups have been handled well by the delivery staff and were inspected thoroughly by quality control!"

Midoriya gives an uneasy laugh. "Iida-kun, maybe start by saying hello first…?"

Iida complies, and beside him Todoroki adds, "Don't use all caps." And so the night goes on, as the three hapless boys compose an appropriate thank-you message.

_Dear Yaoyorozu Momo-kun,_

_Hello!_

_Let me start by saying thank you for the tea set. I have duly received two cups, two saucers, and a tea pot, all porcelain, decorated in the style of Hermes Paris' H Deco Rouge series, enclosed in a bright orange Hermes Paris tea set box. I have inspected them closely and noted that they are all in good condition._

_Let me continue by saying that I truly appreciate your gift. Although I am ashamed to confess that I am not a tea enthusiast, the very presence of your gift encourages me to use it the soonest possible time in all eagerness. I wonder if you have any recommendations as to the type of tea I can brew in the H Deco Rouge porcelain tea pot and subsequently drink in one of the H Deco Rouge porcelain tea cups._

_(Please take note that I have no real preference when it comes to sweetness, bitterness, or pH level of teas, nor do I have any astute judgments regarding their countries of origin, cultural significance, or associated rituals. Hence I shall comply with any suggestion you may have.)_

_(I shall also appreciate any suggestion you may have about the brewing method, manner of dress, type of companion, or any applicable religious ceremony for the maximum enjoyment and appreciation of the type of tea that you recommend for me.)_

_Finally, I must reiterate that you caused me no trouble of any sort. Rather, I am relieved and joyous to hear that you are doing well after that arduous affair and I hope no further misfortune befalls upon you from this day forward._

_I humbly await your kind response._

_Yours Truly,_

_Iida Tenya of UA Boys Academy._

"Iida-kun, you don't really have to sign your name like that in a text message." Midoriya is scrolling through the particularly long message in Iida's Drafts folder. "And this is so… formal… I feel like I'm reading a letter from the Victorian era…"

Iida stressfully karate-chops the air in front of the anxious Midoriya-kun. "But seeing as she sent me a formal letter herself, I must return the courtesy of a formal letter to Yaoyorozu Momo-kun!"

"... and you didn't have to write all that," Todoroki adds nonchalantly. He does nothing to calm poor Iida's nerves. "An SMS is called an SMS for a reason. It might be better to shorten it."

Iida stressfully karate-chops the air in front of the stoic Todoroki-kun. "But how shall I shorten it?! All of the information there is necessary and conveys my honest feelings regarding the matters of my gratitude for Yaoyorozu Momo-kun and the maximum enjoyment of tea!"

"W-well…" Midoriya looks uneasy as he reviews the message once more. "I guess it is pretty honest, and I guess the most important thing about your message is that it really sounds like _you, _Iida-kun. So I guess if you want to send this over LINE in chunks of messages, it will be okay…"

"You concur with my message?! But you just said it is too Victorian in tone! What if she finds it too Dickensian and falls asleep while reading it?!" Even before Midoriya can respond awkwardly, he turns to Todoroki for his opinion. "Do you concur as well, Todoroki-kun?!"

Todoroki exhales in a relenting manner. "… you did spend two hours composing the message. I don't want your efforts to be wasted."

"B-but you just said to shorten it-what if she becomes overwhelmed and blacklists me-"

"Iida-kun, don't panic!" It is only after Midoriya-kun struggles for him to settle down that he realizes that his angular arms are flailing about in odd angles. "You'll be okay, okay? It's just a message! And she wouldn't blacklist you! She seems too nice to do that!"

Just a message, addressed to Yaoyorozu-kun, who is also the very picture of kindness. Iida has to remind himself of that. He straightens both arms and sets his mouth in a straight line in an attempt to regain his usual composure. "I apologize for acting so irrational and anxious, Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun."

"It's fine." The green-haired boy laughs reassuringly. "I wouldn't know what to do if someone did anything like this for me, either… I mean, remember the time when Todoroki-kun gave me the special limited edition Golden Age All Might Pop! Bobblehead figure for my birthday? I couldn't stop crying for hours, and Todoroki-kun's just a friend… if it was a girl, I'd probably die!"

Todoroki's sullen expression shifts slightly as Midoriya reminisces, but the green-haired boy doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he pushes his freckled face closer to Iida's phone and glances up at him curiously. "So… are you going to send your message yet?"

Good question! The draft is already duly addressed to an entry he named 'Shiketsu's YM-kun'. His rectangular thumb hovers uneasily over the _SEND _button.

Moments of agonizing silence ensues as the indecision grips our square friend in full force. The two other boys seem to wait with bated breath for the first five minutes before Todoroki-kun pipes up, "You can send it when you're ready. Midoriya, we should go back to our rooms already."

"Aah~! Right!" They stand up in unison. "Iida-kun, you can do it! I believe in you! Let us know if she replies to you, okay?"

"... all right." He thanks them for their kind assistance and waves them goodbye. He closes the door silently behind them and goes on his bed and resumes staring at his smartphone's screen.

The clock on his bedside reads 10:04 PM. The drafts of his careful messages seem to make his phone heavier, as irrational as it may sound. His thumb once more hovers anxiously over the _SEND _button, which is daring him quietly to press it.

The screen darkens in inactivity, and our Square Friend finds himself staring at his own anxious square face.

The night wears on.

"So… you haven't sent your message yet…"

It is already lunch time the next day. Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun are sitting next to him on their usual table in the Lunch Rush cafeteria. Thankfully, the other boys are herding around the class 'Veep' Bakugou Katsuki-kun, who has likely staved off their invasive curiosity about last night's events by hurling liberal profanities and threats at them.

Thus, indirectly, the explosive blonde made it safe to talk about the matter regarding Iida-kun's troublesome cowardice. Today's lunch is Beef Stew, Iida-kun's favorite, yet he is unable to enjoy it. Sleep deprivation and an unhealthy anxiety can do that to any well-functioning square. "I was unable to press send," he mumbles in utter humiliation.

Midoriya makes a sympathetic noise. "It's been hours since you received the package. She might think that something happened to it."

Todoroki slurps his zarusoba noisily next to him and swallows judgmentally, in a manner that only Todoroki is able to do. "The school would have informed her that the package has been received in the dorm. It's more likely that she thinks you've ignored her gift."

Iida-kun's mouth drops in a perfect rectangle. "B-but on the contrary-! The gift is well-received, and-"

"Keep your voice down," Todoroki warns him, even as some other boys from the other classes have thrown the loudmouthed square a few curious glances. Iida-kun closes his mouth with a sound, and the half-haired boy continues bluntly. "I understand you're nervous about it, Iida. But consider also that Hermes-san had to find the courage to express her gratitude for you."

"Hermes-san…?" Midoriya asks incredulously.

Todoroki shrugs. "It's what they've started calling her," he answers, gesturing to the other 1A boys across the cafeteria. He turns back to Iida, a new stern look on his face. "Anyway, just think of this as being courteous. Send a shorter message or call her, just make sure that you're able to tell her thanks."

"C-c-c-c-all her?! B-but-"

"You owe her the same courage, right?" There is a new sharpness in Todoroki's gaze, which is enough to make both Iida and the flabbergasted Midoriya to flinch. The usually docile half-red boy can truly be intimidating if he wishes to be.

What choice does Iida-kun have then, except to nod and agree? "I suppose you are correct." He feels the phone he keeps in the breast pocket of his uniform with one hand. "… I shall do it later, after class, when we are allowed to open our phones."

The other boys nod at him encouragingly, and he is reminded of how fortunate he is to have such logical friends.

Yet, courage is definitely a quality that is easier said than done. The classes proceed at a pace that is both as quick as a bullet and as slow as a snail. His phone feels hot and heavy in his blazer, as if daring him to send the message. Club activities pass by in a blur. Cleaning duty passes by in a blur. All of it is a blur.

Finally, the day's activities are over. Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun are still at volleyball practice. It is just him and his smartphone. The screen glows mockingly at him as he opens his draft and allows his thumb to hover over SEND again.

He rereads the message over and over and curses himself for his ridiculousness. What a joke this is! Why are his words suddenly so pretentious and redundant? Is Midoriya serious about this drivel sounding 'just like Iida-kun'? Yaoyorozu Momo-kun would think that he is mocking her and never speak to him again!

Furiously, he foregoes the SEND button and instead sends them all to the rubbish bin. The screen is now empty, which only feels cathartic for a few moments before he remembers how Todoroki had chided him and his lack of courage during lunchtime.

"_But consider also that Hermes-san had to find the courage to express her gratitude for you." _That was what he told him, and Iida curses himself and his cowardice once more. Yaoyorozu-kun is kind enough to send him such a pleasant gift, and all he has to do is to be brave enough to send something…

Is he brave enough for this? He thinks to himself that it is just a thank you note, just a simple message, but something in his stomach churns. He feels that he isn't good enough to even speak to a girl like her…

Just then, his phone lights up.

A feeling of relief washes over him as he takes in the call. "_Nii-_san?"

"Hey, Tenya." True enough, it is the reassuring voice of his older brother that speaks back to him.

"Is there anything wrong, _nii-_san? To call me so suddenly in the middle of your shift-"

"We're fine, li'l bro. Don't worry about us." The glasses boy imagines his older brother moving about in their precinct with a desk full of cases in front of him, coolly leaning back in his seat and stretching his arms over his head. "I actually called because I heard interesting things about you~ Things that you didn't bother telling your older brother in the police force…"

Tenya swallows audibly. "I-I'm sorry, my rash actions from last night might have caused you much shame and trouble-I did not intend-"

"Hey, slow down, Tenya. It's fine. I actually called you to check to say how freakin' proud I am!"

Tensei laughs at the other end of the line. It's a comforting sound. Tenya cannot help but glow just as proudly as Tensei continues on the other end, "Inspector Tsukauchi told me all about it last night the minute he dropped you off at the dorm. How brave you were, how you stood up to that girl when no-one else would. It's commendable, he says, except for the fact that you made him do extra paperwork on his day off. So he tells me I owe him coffee for it, haha."

"I shall take it upon myself to buy the inspector extra coffee! If you please, brother!"

"Relax. He's kidding… I think. Anyway, it isn't a big deal, I owe him a hundred coffees by now." Tensei says the last part of his sentence in a lower tone, as if to make sure that his superior wouldn't hear him. "But… how are you doing, Tenya?"

Tenya breathes in deeply. "I'm… fine, brother. I'm sure you also saw the video. But those physical injuries, as Inspector Tsukauchi no doubt has shared with you, are all minor. I am recovering quite well."

Tensei hums curiously. Perhaps he's squinting and rubbing his chin thoughtfully, as he is wont to do when he's analyzing things. "You sure you're okay?

"Yes."

"So why do you sound so down?"

He should have known that Tensei'd pick up something odd. He's scarily perceptive, and Tenya's scarily transparent. Still, he doesn't want to bother his older brother about silly things like this. "I am fine, brother. Just exhausted. People have been curious about things. Asking me questions and such."

"Ah. I feel ya. It must be hard having people getting in your business."

_You have no idea, _thinks Iida grimly, flashing back to the hullaballoo of last night.

"Still, I want you to know that if you want help, I'm here for you, okay? I mean, I know I don't see you a lot because of my job, but I'm still your brother, so…"

"Oh… there is one thing, brother."

"Yeah?"

Tenya inhales deeply as his out-of-sorts brain tries to form a comprehensible, yet adequately vague sentence out of his embarrassing situation. "There is someone I have to tell something. Yet, I fear that… that I'm not good enough to say it..."

He trails off stupidly, leaving an awkward silence along the line. He could practically hear how Tenya is narrowing his eyes and rubbing his chin in that thoughtful way of is, the way he tended to do when faced with a puzzling situation.

After a thoughtful hum, Tensei speaks again. "Somehow I highly doubt that my genius baby brother is not good enough for that person," he says teasingly, making Tenya's jaw drop in embarrassment. "But if it's something you _have _to say, I suppose you'll have to say it. It sounds important to the both of you, so it'll be sad if you don't say anything, right?"

Tenya sighs. "I suppose so… Ah, why do I have to be such a coward about this?"

He doesn't mean to say that last part out loud, but it makes Tensei chuckle. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself! I mean, I guess it's hard if you're worried about the timing of things. But if that person really is important, your genius brain will figure it out, right?"

Sometimes he wished he regarded himself as highly as his brother does him. "Thank you for the faith, brother."

"Anytime," Tensei says. His voice is smiling again. "You'll introduce me to this important person someday soon, right? Hey, bring them to brunch so they can meet-"

"Brother! I cannot, not to Yao-I mean-"

He stops mid-sputter when he realizes Tensei is laughing at his expense again. He bristles slightly as his brother straightens himself out. "Kidding aside, Tenya… try not to be so serious, okay? Just relax. Whatever happens, it won't be the end of the world."

"We don't know that! Were a rogue meteor were to fling itself out of orbit and enter out stratosphere-"

"_Tenya. Calm down. _What did I say about talking about the apocalypse?"

"... not to do it outside of the context of films set in the post-apocalypse."

"Yes. Exactly."

Afterwards, they talk about meeting over the weekend, and Tensei cuts the conversation short in favor of new paperwork he suddenly has to do. After the call is over, Tenya is left with an idle screen and his reflection staring back at him.

A renewed courage in his mind, he is typing a new message as quickly as he could. The key is to do it as if he were running in the hundred-meter dash; keep it under fifteen seconds, leave no time to doubt or even think.

He is numb when his thumb trips over the _SEND _button. Just as two little checkmarks appear under his message, he exhales, very loudly. He doesn't know how long he is sitting there like a statue of the Amida Buddha until Midoriya and Todoroki are ambling up to him, oblivious to his struggles.

"Iida-kun! Are you okay?" Midoriya appears breathless from practice. He gets a little more breathless when he regards Iida's petrified form again. "Talk to us, Iida-kun! Did you-didn't you-"

His mouth moves by itself. "Yes. I did."

He is not sure if his tone is victorious or regretful or pleading. Todoroki, who has been giving him a judgmental glance, looks at him with mildly surprised eyes.

Midoriya, always supportive, gives a soft, surprised _uwaa! _"That's great, Iida-kun! I gotta say, I'm proud of you! I know how nervous you were… I wonder if she'll reply to you…"

Just as the green-haired boy says it, Iida's phone _dings. _He only realizes how tense he is when he flings his phone five feet in the air. He makes one flustered noise after another until Todoroki effortlessly captures the phone with one hand.

"Relax, Iida," the half-red, half-white boy chides gently and hands him the phone. When Iida remains stiff, he tries a gentler, quieter tone and places the phone in the larger boy's rectangular palms. "Take a deep breath. Unlock your phone. Click on the notification. Yes. Just like that. Don't forget to breathe."

Since when is he such an incapacitated fool who isn't able to open a text message?! Iida is truly grateful for his friends. He is numb as he reads the reply from 'Shiketsu YM', the exchange of which reads as such:

Me (17:32): This is Iida Tenya from UA. Thank you for your gift. Please let me know if it is okay to call.

YM (17:35): Iida-kun! I've been waiting for you!

YM (17:35): I have things to do in my school's student council for now so I can't call, but it should be okay later this evening :)

The texts are a shot of a cherub's arrow to the heart. Not only has she confirmed that she has been waiting for him, which made him so happy he wanted to run 10 kilometers without stopping, but also, she demonstrated that she has her priorities in order! Such diligence! Such sense of propriety and duty! So admirable, Yaoyorozu Momo-kun! He is misty-eyed as he rereads the messages over and over!

"Look, Iida-kun! There's a smiley there! Isn't that a good sign?" Midoriya points out.

As soon as Iida realizes it, his face reddens to the thresholds of steamed crab, and he feels something in short-circuit in is brain. He vaguely hears Midoriya cry in shock next to him.

Todoroki has an amused look on his face. "You're going for a phone call? I didn't know you had it in you, Iida. Don't forget to reply. And you've been sitting weird for a while, so maybe… stand up… yeah, there we go."

And so they go home with a sense of triumph, after some valiant efforts in his two reliable acquaintances' parts to pry him off the bench.

Me (18:01): Of course! It's no problem at all! Please continue to work hard!

YM (18:03): Thank you :) I'll do my best!

YM (18:04): I think 830 pm is a good time? I'll wait for your call then :)

Me (18:06): 830 IS A PERFECT TIME. PLEASE WAIT FOR MY CALL

Me (18:06): i am sorry i used capslock by mistake

Me (18:07): I apologize! Please do not think that I am yelling at you!

YM (18:08): ^_^' it's fine, Iida-kun! Then, I'll look forward to your call!

And so it is that Iida finds himself berating himself for being so terrible with the usage of SMS while staring at the digital clock in his room, which read 2025 hours.

Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun have both opted to give him due privacy at this time. Over dinner, they fill him with reassurances and positive talk-well, mostly from Midoriya-kun, come to think of it. Todoroki-kun merely nodded and reminded him to keep his voice down.

Now the clock is 2026 hours. His flashback at dinner time is over and done with within a minute. How agonizing it is to wait!

2027 hours; Iida is at a loss of what to do, and has decided to do high knees running in place for the next sixty seconds to pass the time.

2028 hours; he finds himself doing rather vigorous squat jacks, until he hears Bakugou-kun yelling from a distance to stop the racket.

2029 hours; he is sweating and huffing and puffing, but not from the cardio exercises. Suddenly the wait is agonizing not because of the feeling of waiting, but the feeling that the hour creeps closer and closer. He should not have done cardio, what if he breathes heavily over the mouthpiece and gets labeled as a mouthbreather? What if Yaoyorozu Momo-kun smells his body odor through the phone? What if-

2030 hours; the alarm he has set starts to beep urgently. He presses the button with a precise downward movement of one arm and feels the echo of the click of the button resonate throughout the room.

He spends 5 seconds, 10 seconds just staring at his phone. _Remember, Iida-kun. 100 meter dash. _And so he unlocks his phone, goes to his contacts, and hurries to dial her number.

_Ring… ring… ring… _He places the phone against his ear, first with a feeling of anticipation which evolves into dejection, which further devolves into self-hate and self-pity. Eventually the operator tells him that the user is busy and to try the call again later. He sighs and ends the call.

He falls to his bed and stares at the ceiling for a good seven minutes and forty-eight seconds, and wallows in defeat. Utter defeat. He feels his soul seeping out from his mouth. What is he expecting, anyway? Maybe this is all a fever dream. Maybe…

The phone rings, causing him to stand up in shock.

He answers it.

"... Hello? Iida-kun? This is Yaoyorozu Momo."


	3. Giant Steps

**The Clumsy Square and the Lady Fair  
**Chapter 3: Giant Steps

* * *

"Hello? Iida-san? This is Yaoyorozu Momo."

Her voice curls into his ear like a song. For just a millisecond, Iida feels the pause between one heartbeat and the next one. He probably makes an odd noise out of his mouth at one point. And while he feels almost sickly and nauseated from the preposterous amounts of adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and/or other chemicals flooding his brain and bloodstream, all he wants is to hear her voice again.

Despite the utter chaos of his senses, somehow he manages a coherent response. "Yaoyorozu-kun! Good evening! Hello!"

"I'm relieved you answered my call, Iida-san," she says bashfully. "I'm embarrassed that I wasn't able to pick up earlier. I was in the bath until a moment ago. I didn't realize what time it was! I'm so sorry for being late!"

"Please do not worry!" He instinctively karate-chops the air in front of him as a sign of reassurance, and instantly thanks the heavens that this isn't a video call. "A bath is an apt ending to a productive day at school! As I'm sure you've experienced, from the exchanges we had earlier! "

She makes a sound of affirmation. "You must have been busy today too, Iida-san. You look like the type who always has something urgent to do. Unfortunately, I'm the same! Come to think of it, that's how we met, right? Because we stayed out so late and ended up having to come home late…"

She chuckles lightly on the other side of the phone, a pleasant sound that makes him feel lighter and lighter. Iida feels his squarish shoulders soften for the first time in a hundred years. "Yes, it is. Although I wish that it is under better circumstances…"

"That's true," she says a little wistfully. The trauma from the harassment is probably still fresh. "But I try to be positive about it. I'm very grateful that you and Detective Tsukauchi found me before things got really bad."

"Yes, it's true that things might have been worse. I'm also happy that you are presently safe, Yaoyorozu-kun." He shudders thinking about all the bad outcomes that could have happened. "As for your gift..."

"Do you like it?" Her voice is suddenly anxious, palpably so. He pictures her worrying over her full lower lip after her sentence. "I thought about what sort of appropriate gift I can give you for some time… I realized that all I knew about you was the fact that you went to UA and nothing else. In the end, I only chose something that I liked and hoped for the best. If it's not to your liking-"

"Oh, on the contrary, I love it! It is a lovely tea set! Exquisite craftsmanship!"

Yaoyorozu pauses on the other end, and for a moment, he regrets that he let the word _love _slip so easily from his mouth. But her bouncy reply catches him off-guard instead. "You do? Oh, that makes me so happy! By any chance, are you a tea enthusiast too, Iida-san?"

"N… no," he supplies weakly.

"Oh…" Her tone is embarrassed and a little deflated. "Sorry, it's too much of me to assume…" An awkward silence ensues after.

"... but that is not to say that your gift is unappreciated! Actually, I was… I was meaning to ask you if there are teas that you would want me to try, to get started on tea enthusiasm!"

It's curious how he is able to pick up the change in the air around her through the phone. He imagines her raven eyes sparkle as she gushes on next, "Of course! Although, there're so many good teas, I'm a little torn about which one is the best to recommend to you… I myself am a fan of Benoist teas, but recently I've tried this new Himalayan Imperial Black Tea that has a nice, strong aroma. They say it's from the unique soil that grows around the Himalayas, which makes the taste so exquisite…"

A quiet sense of contentment envelopes around him as he listens to her excitedly share her vast knowledge of teas to him. She spares nothing in her descriptions of the flavor, aroma, acidity; her passion is so contagious that he is genuinely excited to try out the Imperial black tea by the end of her spiel.

Yes, the warmth surrounding him feels like he is steeping in a giant H Deco Rouge porcelain tea cup filled with Himalayan Imperial Black Tea. "That sounds amazing, Yaoyorozu-kun. I feel like it will be splendid to share a cup of tea with you someday!"

Another pause. There is another moment of regret that Iida tries to salvage by saying, "Of course, I do not mean to insinuate that you should-I suppose you might not want to, I mean...I am not pressuring you to-"

To his surprise, a pleasant sound fills his ears once more, which he realizes later was laughter. "On the contrary, Iida-san. I'd love to have tea with you."

He wonders briefly if he is experiencing a complex auditory hallucination. "You… would?"

"Yes," she confirms. "To be honest, I've been waiting for you to ask me for a while now, and I'm happy that you did. I feel like we should meet again, too."

An indescribable surge of emotions wells up within Iida-kun's chest. "I feel the same way, Yaoyorozu-kun! Exactly the same! Why, if it were possible, I would run to you now to see you, and-" No, you fool, you utter buffoon, stop babbling! But he isn't able to stop his foolish rectangle mouth from moving. Before he realizes it, he is already on his feet, excited beyond any coherent thought, declaring his wishes to run a marathon's length to Yaoyorozu-kun's household for tea.

When he comes to, he clamps his mouth closed with a soft, "ah!" But again, he finds himself mystified as Yaoyorozu-kun makes another sound of amusement.

"I'm excited to see you too, Iida-san! But please don't run to my house at this hour, you might get in trouble since it must be past curfew already," she says humorously. "So when do we meet? I hope you're alright meeting with me on a weekend…"

Somehow she always seems to answer his awkward questions so elegantly. So amazing, Yaoyorozu-kun! "Any weekend will be good for me, too!"

Somehow, our hero is able to calm down enough to make plans. People usually hated making plans with Iida, because he is the type of person who needs an exact time to meet so he will be able to make it to the exact address fifteen minutes prior to the agreed time, in the proper attire, the exact amount of money he needs for the trip, and all the necessary arrangements confirmed via phone call within the past 24 hours. Luckily, Yaoyorozu-kun seems to be the same. In fact, she takes the lead in planning dinner at a restaurant downtown that she said served good food. Leave the reservations with her, she says, and Iida can only agree.

"All right," Iida reads the note he scribbled on a pad of paper he keeps at his bedside desk. "So this Saturday, November 3rd, we shall be meeting at the lamp post near the north entrance of the Kiyashi Station at precisely six thirty in the evening! After which we shall be taking a leisurely stroll along 5th Avenue until we reach Awase's just in time for our 645 PM reservation! And then! We shall have dinner for approximately one hour, inclusive of three courses, tea, and conversation!"

Yaoyorozu giggles again. It truly is mystifying how entertained she is by his usually overbearing presence. "The plan sounds great so far, doesn't it? I'm excited!"

"As am I! I always look forward to a good, well-organized activity!"

"I'm glad you do, Iida-san." Yaoyorozu gasps a little. "Oh, have we really been speaking for more than an hour already?"

He glances at the clock. To be precise, it has been an hour fifteen minutes since their first hellos. "I've lost track of the time as well! I apologize, Yaoyorozu-kun, I must have kept you from your tasks with my incessant babbling!"

"No, don't apologize. It was a good talk, but I suppose it's time for me to say goodbye. I'm sure you have homework to do too."

He feels her smile through the phone, for some reason, and it makes his heart feel lighter. He smiles back. "Yes. We have responsibilities to attend to."

"Right." Did she feel him smile through the phone too? She exhales softly. "Thanks again, Iida-san. I look forward to our date."

"Me too."

"Then… goodbye."

"Goodbye." A second of reluctance pass by both of them, before he hears the click on the other end of the line.

He sits on the bed, stares in the open air, and gives in to the uncharacteristic impulse to throw himself on his bed face-down on the cushions.

What a lovely conversation! What a wonderful person you are, Yaoyorozu Momo-kun, for bringing so many unpredictable yet wonderful emotions in Iida-kun's consciousness! He feels so much energy, feels himself filled to the brim with a vigor he didn't think was possible, so much that he does not know what to do with himself!

Her voice echoes in his head-_ I look forward to our date! _He imagines her, happy and bouncy, bright eyes creased excitedly, and-

Wait. What did she say again? Was it, _I look forward to our date? _

_Our… date? _

_Our? _

_… Date? _

* * *

_Iida Tenya has entered the chatroom. _

Iida Tenya: **deku Shouto** I AM IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE.

deku: Iida-kun? What's up?

Iida Tenya : RE: HERMES-KUN.

Iida Tenya: WE SPOKE ON THE PHONE, AS PLANNED.

Iida Tenya: THE CONVERSATION WAS GOOD BUT CAME WITH UNEXPECTED RESULTS.

deku: um… Iida-kun;;

Shouto: Iida. Stop

Iida Tenya: THAT IS TO SAY, SOMEHOW WE HAVE AGREED TO MEET EACH OTHER. ON A DATE.

redriot: whaaaaaaaaa!?

ChargeBolt : whEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Cellophane: whooooaaaaaaa

CantStopTwinkling : ouiiiiiiiiiiiii?

Iida Tenya: oh-

grapejuice: NNNNOOOOOOOOO

grapejuice: traitorrrrr!

grapejuice: why r u rising in the hierarchy before me, prez?! u traitor! Waah!

redriot: PREZ U THA MAN

ChargeBolt : Prez im… _hurt _

ChargeBolt : u were hidin hermes-chan from us all along~

ChargeBolt : i thought we had sth special T_T

redriot: but what happened prez?!

redriot: we wanted to ask u but bakubro yelled at us for being all up in ur business

deku: ;;

Iida Tenya: …

Shouto: … it's a recent development.

Shouto: we found Hermes-san's contact details only recently.

redriot: but how?

grapejuice: WHERE IS IT

Cellophane: pipe down mineta

redriot: **CantStopTwinkling** u searched the box right?

CantStopTwinkling : oui!

CantStopTwinkling : ah, but I might not have been thorough?

CantStopTwinkling : I was careful not to break the precious Hermes tea cups, after all~!

deku: that's right!

deku: Hermes-san left their number inside the tea pot!

Shouto: We saw it while we tried to drink green tea in Iida's room.

Shouto: He almost choked on it.

Cellophane: somehow I can imagine that happening to the prez lol

CantStopTwinkling : You used the tea set! C'est merveilleux! You three truly have good taste, unlike some people I know

ChargeBolt : … why do I feel insulted all of a sudden

CantStopTwinkling : **ChargeBolt**

ChargeBolt : ! oh no u didn't

redriot: aoyama! lmao

Cellophane: you deserve that, leopard print duvet. Lololololol

ChargeBolt : shut up its cool

redriot: but prez… that's crazy awesome!

redriot: ur secret admirer isn't so secret anymore!

redriot: Hermes-chan wants you to interact!

grapejuice: details plz details

grapejuice: whats her name where is she from how old is she

grapejuice: on a scale of one to ten how sexy is her voice

grapejuice: does she sound like a cotton panties girl or a lace panties kind of girl

redriot: mineta;; come on man

Cellophane: dude dont make me go to ur room =_=

grapejuice: did she send a picture how big are her boobs

_Cellophane has left the chatroom. _

redriot: don't worry bout him Prez

CantStopTwinkling : sacre bleu!

CantStopTwinkling : how awful!

grapejuice: whats hekjsakfsadl;fjas

_grapejuice has left the chatroom. _

deku: uwaaa!

Shouto: **Cellophane** thank you for your service.

ChargeBolt : so… ignoring those disturbing comments by our token class perv

ChargeBolt : the prez is popular after all?

ChargeBolt : I wasn't wrong in my initial assessment ^_^ im so proud I aimed for u before lols

deku: ;; kaminari-kun is such a flirt

redriot: ya. A truly disastrous bi

ChargeBolt : but prez! Howd you do it!?

redriot: prez is suddenly quiet

deku: ;; Iida-kun are you okay?

ChargeBolt : yaaaaa omg im goin crazy here with curiosity

redriot: it's ok :) u don't have to tell us if ur not ready

_Cellophane has entered the chatroom. _

Cellophane: **Shouto** just doing the Lord's work as always

Cellophane: also kiri is right.

Cellophane: u obvs sent ur messages to the class chat by accident

Cellophane: so if u don't want to u don't have to tell us anything

CantStopTwinkling : I also agree!

CantStopTwinkling : we shall pressure you no longer to tell us about Mademoiselle/Monsieur Hermes. Unless it is your wish :)

ChargeBolt : ya if u have trouble ur welcome to tell all of us but u dont have to u know

ChargeBolt : like… I can tell u a thing or 2 about gfs or bfs but

ChargeBolt : not like i have a gf or a bf or anything lol

ChargeBolt : hahahahaha

ChargeBolt : im so single

ChargeBolt : someone send help aksjflasdjfsalkdjvcs;adlk

Cellophane: (=_=)

Cellophane: anyway… ignoring the token class foreveralone

Cellophane: the veep might beat our asses if we forced u lol

redriot: ya hes protective of u for some reason;;

deku: really? Kacchan is?

redriot: _yes he issssss! _

redriot: he says its part of being veep

redriot: but hes extra on edge after the prez got in trouble with those crazy guys on the train

deku: oh!

redriot: Bakubro's rly srs bout being Veep so he really cares about what happens to the prez hehe

redriot: but seriously its been a crazy coupla days huh?

redriot: the train thing is really unlucky, but

redriot: I think it's offset with Hermes-chan stepping up!

deku: isnt it crazy howmany things r happenin to iidakun rnn?but sometimes that's just how it is lotsa super separate super dramatic things happening same tiem adn we dnt rly know why

Shouto: … Midoriya

deku: u know its like in,,, in shonen mangas,,, like in one piece when u htink luffys got th straw hats outta the woods just, one bad thing after another hapens and before u know it its already the showdown bet him n big mom

Shouto: _**Midoriya.**_

redriot: …

Cellophane: I felt a srs chill from Todoroki's message just now;;;;;;;;

Cellophane: is this the return of Earlyroki?

deku: wah! Sorry sorry

ChargeBolt : yoooo midoriya calm down lol ur rly into shonen jump huh

ChargeBolt : and srs spoiler alerts

deku: im soryyyyyyyyy T_T

Cellophane: lmao crazy how u can mumble on chat too, my-first-errand

Iida Tenya: …

Iida Tenya: Thank you everyone. I appreciate your concern.

redriot: whoa! small caps prez comes out of nowhere!

Iida Tenya: I apologize also for making such a racket.

Iida Tenya: After all, our class chat should strictly be for announcement purposes only.

ChargeBolt : or so u say prez lolol

ChargeBolt : super stoked for u n ur date tho :)

redriot: me too!

Iida Tenya: so I wonder if I can ask for your assistance regarding that matter

_Phantom-Thief has entered the chatroom. _

_REPPU has entered the chatroom. _

REPPU: HI GUYS

REPPU: **shouto** Your dad is on TV!

Shouto: Yoarashi.

REPPU: CHANNEL 7 NEWS HE IS TALKING ABOUT FIREPOWER AS PER USUAL

REPPU: ALL OF YOU WATCH Shouto's DAD HE IS AMAZING

Cellophane: hey man. Allcaps mode except to Todoroki as usual huh

deku: hey yoarashi-kun! Monoma-kun!

redriot: yo Inasa my mans! yo Monoma!

CantStopTwinkling : bonsoir!

Phantom-Thief: Bonsoir, messieurs ;)

Phantom-Thief: Hm, I went in here to ask about our trigonometry homework

Phantom-Thief: but looks like Yoarashi-kun and I missed quite a lot?

ChargeBolt : ya like u wont believe!

ChargeBolt : prez is tha man! the first to break the single curse of class A!

Phantom-Thief: Let me read back then

REPPU: I ALREADY READ EVERYTHING!

REPPU: PRESIDENT IIDA

REPPU: YOU ARE GOING ON A DATE WITH HERMES-SAMA! CONGRATULATIONS.

ChargeBolt : don't make it sound like he's getting married dude. .

REPPU: ARE YOU FIRED UP?

Iida Tenya: YOARASHI-KUN PLEASE CALM DOWN

Cellophane: and the allcaps duo returns

Cellophane: smallcaps prez was awesome while he lasted

redriot: lololol ya but now at least hes back to normal

ChargeBolt : my ears hurt just readin this lol

Iida Tenya: ARE YOU BEATING YOUR HEAD AGAINST SCHOOL PROPERTY AGAIN?

Iida Tenya: I FELT A CONCERNING TREMOR JUST NOW

redriot: ya he totally did I heard a crack in the room next to mine lol

deku: uwa! Yoarashi-kun please calm down! Does anyone have a first aid kit?

REPPU: BECAUSE IM FIRED UP

REPPU: NO NEED MIDORIYA-KUN. I AM NOW APPLYING THREE BAND-AIDS ONTO MY FOREHEAD.

Shouto: =_=

Iida Tenya: GOOD. PLEASE TAKE CARE NOT TO INJURE YOURSELF FURTHER, YOARASHI-KUN.

REPPU: YOU SAY YOU NEED HELP. I AM HERE TO HELP.

REPPU: WHAT DO YOU NEED HELP WITH

deku: ;; he was just about to tell us, Yoarashi-kun!

ChargeBolt : ya before u beat urself up man lololol

Shouto: … Iida are you sure about this?

REPPU: NO NEED TO HESITATE CLASS PRESIDENT

REPPU: CLASS A IS A SAFE COMMUNITY EVERYONE HELPS EVERYONE WITHOUT JUDGMENT

Iida Tenya: YES I DO AGREE

Iida Tenya: AND SO, LET ME GET TO ASKING FOR YOUR HELP

Iida Tenya: THAT IS

Iida Tenya: I… DO NOT KNOW

Iida Tenya: … the proper conduct in which to proceed with a date.

redriot: gasp! smallcaps prez is back!

Phantom-Thief: hm.

ChargeBolt : so. You mean

ChargeBolt : you haven't been on a date? Ever?

Iida Tenya: …

Iida Tenya: no, I have not.

Cellophane: no judgments man, havent had a gf before either so were on the same boat

REPPU: NEITHER HAVE I!

REPPU: BUT THAT WILL NOT STOP ME FROM ASSISTING YOU

deku: me too!

deku: I haven't been on a date ever, either! But I still want to help!

Phantom-Thief: deku don't you go on dates with Shouto quite frequently?

Phantom-Thief: You try out new soba shops together, just the two of you, right?

deku: …. waaah! kdjfaslkfjvfsadkfvnsalk those aren't dates!

deku: shouto likes soba ok were best freidns we just eat kjsdfa;skdgfsakv

deku: also sometimes yoarashi-kun brings him to udon shops too so there

Phantom-Thief: hm! Is it the same, Shouto?

deku: fkjsad;lfjaskfsa fsadkjsa yes it is dkjfals;kdjfsaf

REDRIOT: you broke him Monoma!

REPPU: HE IS ONLY TEASING YOU DEKU. DO NOT DESPAIR!

REPPU: also, **Shouto**, there's a new tempura udon place open near the school that we should visit! Let's go tomorrow after class!

Shouto: …

Shouto: _Can we please get back on topic _

Shouto: Iida. Since you asked everyone on this chat for help

Shouto: maybe start with the details that we can help you with.

Iida Tenya: Understood!

Iida Tenya: This coming Saturday, Hermes-kun and I are meeting for tea and dinner at Awase's along 5th Avenue in the Kiyashi District!

CantStopTwinkling : gasp!

Phantom-Thief: Awase's, eh?

Phantom-Thief: Personally I'm a bigger fan of Shino's. Nevertheless, good choice, Iida-kun.

CantStopTwinkling : Mademoiselle/Monsieur Hermes is truly high class! President, they already have my vote as class First Lady/Gentleman!

redriot: so im guessing its a fancyshmancy place huh

deku: wow that's so cool! Nice one, Iida-kun!

ChargeBolt : really bold, Prez! You do look like the high class type too

Iida Tenya: I do not understand?

CantStopTwinkling : Mon President! Did you not think to research the sort of place Awase's is?

Iida Tenya: No. Rather, Hermes-kun chose the location since she seems more knowledgeable about it.

Phantom-Thief: So that must be the type of person Hermes-san is.

Phantom-Thief: Very interesting~

Shouto: … we knew that the moment we saw the Hermes cups.

Shouto: Anyway, Iida. You might want to Google Awase;s so you know what to expect.

Shouto: In summary, it's a 2-Michelin star restaurant owned by Awase Joichirou-san who's trained in all kinds of cuisines

Shouto: The owner is notoriously unpredictable with the menu so I'm not sure about the tea part of your date

Shouto: It's also popular as a musician's hub. Popular jazz and blues bands were discovered there.

REPPU: You seem to know a lot about this, Shouto!

REPPU: I am impressed! I did not think you will be fired up about the culinary world!

Shouto: Not really. My oldest brother goes to the same culinary school as the owner.

deku: ah, that's right! Touya-nii-san studies in Totsuki Academy too, right?

Cellophane: I'm googling it now. It's kinda fancy prez, how do you feel about this?

Iida Tenya: It is indeed an impressive restaurant! It is congruent with what I know of Hermes-kun!

redriot: man the prez is SO MANLY

Cellophane: yeah man i'd be super intimidated in a place like this

ChargeBolt : ya;; this is leaps n bounds from the time I treated a girl to a bottle of calpis T_T

CantStopTwinkling : how gauche! But i expected that from you exactly, Kaminari-kun.

ChargeBolt : whey

CantStopTwinkling : So, mon President, I do suggest due preparation for a date like this~ this isn't merely a simple dinner, after all!

Phantom-Thief: I agree.

Phantom-Thief: For example, Iida-kun, have you thought about the clothes you will wear? The conversation you will make?

CantStopTwinkling : are you bringing them flowers? Perhaps a gift in return for the teacups?

redriot: yeah! And what are you ordering from the restaurant!

REPPU: FOR FOOD I SUGGEST PASTA. FOR THE GIFT I SUGGEST A DIAMOND RING.

Iida Tenya: … a ring, you say?

deku: waaah! A ring?! that's a little too much, Yoarashi-kun! He isn't proposing to her!

Shouto: Anyway, Iida. I feel like you're overwhelmed.

Shouto: For tonight, think about the things we've told you

Shouto: We have a couple of days to think up of a strategy anyways.

deku: Yes!

deku: we have your back, Iida-kun! Definitely!

redriot: yeah! You can count on 1A! we're here for you!

Cellophane: hear hear

ChargeBolt : this is exciting ya gotta update us okay

ChargeBolt : and once ur all lovey-dovey think of ur single friends and introduce us to Hermes-chan's fancy friends ok

Iida Tenya: Thank you everyone!

Iida Tenya: I shall take your kind suggestions at heart!

_Iida Tenya has left the chatroom. _

* * *

Iida-kun begins the next day fearing for his very life when the most volatile of his peers corners him on the way to the classroom.

Bakugou-kun has to restrain himself rather significantly from pulling our square friend by the ear to have some words with him. "Oi, shitty Glasses. Care to explain what the fuck happened in the stupid chatroom while the rest of us were sleepin' like we were supposed to? After I was so fuckin' _careful _keepin' it a secret from all these other idiots in the class-"

The explosive blonde's tone suggests an interesting mix of a lot of care for and intention to murder, oddly enough.

With Midoriya-kun standing between the two of them like a minuscule green-haired barrier, the VP opts not to pull off his ear, but instead settles for a crushing grip on one square-shaped shoulder. "It's-it's okay, Kacchan! No-one else knows who Hermes-san is except me and Todoroki-kun-"

"You nerds barely kept it together, shitty Deku! Actually, you almost fuckin' blew it, you stupid-ass! If that shitty half-and-half didn't keep you and your big mouth in line-"

Iida has half a mind to tell Bakugou-kun off for using so many expletives within the sacred confines of their beloved school, but stops himself. He supposes he deserves this verbal lashing for being so ill-advised in his actions last night.

Midoriya-kun doesn't waver, however. "But no-one's figured out that Hermes-san's involved in the train! She's just someone who sent a gift to Iida-kun… so it should be fine, right? I m-mean… as long as no-one knows… we can talk about her, right?"

Bakugou inhales sharply and pushes Iida away with one strong hand. "Tch. I don't know about you, you fuckin' glasses, but if it were me, I'd fuckin' kill _anyone _who wants to rubberneck in my fuckin' business like the rest of the class is doin'."

Of course Bakugou-kun would resort to killing someone over minor inconveniences. But come to think of it, how minor an inconvenience is his situation?

"I mean, do you really want shitheads like that fuckin' Mineta knowing about your fuckin' lovelife?" The explosive blonde makes his disgust plain to see with a sneer that would rival a central character in a Picasso painting done in his latter years. "You rescued that girl from one pervert just to brag about her existence to another?! Have some fuckin' shame, idiot! I'd feel sick if I were you."

"It isn't just Mineta," supplies Midoriya defensively. "It's the rest of the class too… and it's not a bad thing…"

"Tell me why it's not a fucking bad thing for these bozos to know about her. Didn't this Hermes chick already go through enough?!"

Iida is inclined to agree. Guilt, heavy and encompassing, threatens to sink into his bones as he thinks of his VP's words and the face Yaoyorozu-kun made on that train, when the molesters grabbed her by the hand.

No, he can't have a repeat of that incident. Yaoyorozu-kun's identity must be kept secret at all costs. Only those whom he trusts with his life deserves to know about her…

But… Deserves? Really? Is he so possessive of Yaoyorozu-kun to say something as condescending as that?

"Iida-kun?"

He looks up to see Midoriya and Bakugou staring at him carefully through his sudden silence.

Thoughtfully, he turns to the explosive blonde and speaks again. "You are right, Bakugou-kun. Hermes-kun truly does not deserve any more trouble, especially not from our side. But I know our classmates, and I know that they will not do anything to purposefully do any harm to her! Why, even without her name or face, they have encouraged me so! Do you not agree that it is not folly to put my trust in them?"

That's right. As rowdy and off-beat as those characters are, Iida knows that most, if not all of them are kind-hearted at the core. And thus he trusts his comrades with this… this sudden odd turn his life has taken. And most of all, he trusts them with Yaoyorozu-kun. Somehow he's sure that all of them will strive to protect her, just as he did on that train.

Midoriya-kun is staring at him with shining, proud eyes. Meanwhile, Bakugou scowls. "Ya really want my answer to that, shitty glasses?"

"I meant it as a rhetoric question, but…"

He glances at him carefully before making another _tch _sound. "Whatever. Your funeral either way. If you ask me tho, I'd keep that grape shit far far away from Hermes and avoid talkin' to Pikashit about dating advice. Might as well jump off a cliff for all the good that's gonna do ya."

As always, Iida is amazed at the sound advice that his vice president gives him, albeit being hidden under a pile of expletives. "So should I come to you for advice instead, Bakugou-kun?"

The blonde snarls at him, just as Midoriya gasps exaggeratedly. "Kacchan! N-no way! You have dating experience? How could I not know?!"

"What the f-shut up, it's none of your business!"

"So is that a yes? Kacchan, tell me please, I gotta know _everything, _I mean, not the really private personal details of course but just that, um, I never knew about that part of you and as your one and only childhood friend-"

"Fuck you Deku jump off the roof already you creepy piece of-"

He supposes that the enraged expression on the vice president's face is likely equivalent to a no. Not that Midoriya would stop questioning him about it until he's given anything that sounds like an answer, or until Bakugou threatens to do something as ghastly as knocking all his teeth out of his mouth, which he ends up doing in the end.

In any case, experience or not, Bakugou-kun's words are valuable advice, and Iida decides to quietly ask for his opinion and advice in the future should the need arise. As unexpected as it is that he's considering the most foulmouthed student in campus for advice, Kirishima-kun _did _say that Bakugou-kun was oddly protective of him as class president, right? Oddly enough, the rest of the class has given him the same feeling, inside and outside of the chatrooms. They seemed to just want the best for Iida, and he feels touched because of it.

(Stranger things have happened, and stranger things are to come as the world steadfastly remains off its normal axis.)

Well, in the end, Iida supposed that trusting in his comrades with his conduct regarding Yaoyorozu-kun surely isn't the worst thing he could do.

* * *

_… perhaps it is the worst thing, after all _, Iida-kun thinks as he stands in the middle of their common-room-turned-disaster zone made of discarded clothing, upended furniture, classmates causing a rumpus, and shame and regret in excess.

How did it end up like this, one might ask? Now, after the rest of the week has peacefully gone by and there's less than twenty-four hours before his fated meeting with Yaoyorozu-kun?

It begins in much the same way as the previous chapter began (Iida-kun is beginning to sense a pattern at this point). He merely asked his closest friends Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun for advice regarding wardrobe and proper conduct and what to do about his frayed nerves. He had expected a quick look through his modest, utilitarian wardrobe, stern words from Todoroki and comforting, cheering words from Midoriya-kun to offset the sternness. Something that would have taken them fifteen minutes of conversation and about an hour of anxious babbling on Iida's part. Something he could have managed well, in other words.

But, much like the previous chapter, Iida-kun finds himself in the middle of a semicircle comprised of the two, plus Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and Aoyama, plus two of their other classmates Tokoyami-kun and Ojiro-kun, who are pulled unwittingly but not forcibly into this mess because they happened to be studying in the common room. Soon, everyone is appraising him with a critical eye as if he's a model on acclaimed reality show Project Rundown.

"Prez… know that I love you with all my heart when I tell you this," Kaminari begins dramatically, squinting at him through another spare pair of glasses he must have taken from Iida's room. "But trust me on this one. Burn that outfit."

He doesn't know why he is receiving many pitying looks. After all, he is wearing a rather decent attire, even by his standards. He is wearing a crisp, shirt-sleeved white polyester blend button down shirt, all buttons appropriately buttoned up to his collar. The shirt is tucked in a pair of pleated khaki pants held by a brown leather belt. He is also wearing his black leather school shoes, along with black dress socks. It's comfortable and functional, and in-line with all of Iida-kun's beliefs about clothing.

"Is my attire unacceptable?" Iida asks carefully.

"Well… it's not that it's unacceptable, Prez," Kirishima says with a thoughtful jiggle of his knee, his signature red Crocs flopping along with the movement.

"I fear the lack of shadows shall push you into obscurity," Tokoyami adds grimly.

"It's not… um, flattering, Iida-kun." Ojiro-kun, one of the more practical students in their class, comments carefully when Iida looks at him for support. But when even he looks underwhelmed, he is forced to admit that perhaps his dressing choice is poorer than imagined.

"It's soooo _boooriiiing _!" Kaminari whines. "It's such a waste! I mean, you have such a muscular, sturdy physique like a full-fledged Olympian and you're covering it up in that daddy outfit!"

Iida's a little taken aback by the praise on his body, and a little more affronted at his choice of wardrobe. He sees Todoroki look a little offended too-he helped pick Iida's outfit, after all. "Surely I do not appear as older than my 15 years of existence! It's simply ridiculous to insinuate-"

"He's right Prez, you look more teacher-ly than Aizawa-sensei," comments Sero. He's perusing what was formerly his properly folded and organized wardrobe, which was now a very large pile of improperly folded and disorganized clothing, with contributions from most members of his class who all had an opinion on what he ought to wear for his first meeting with 'their beloved Hermes-kun.'

"But Aizawa-sensei is twice our age!"

"Exactly," his gangly classmate says with a grin, as he pulls out a shirt from the pile. "But that's why you asked for our help, right?"

He wants to tell him that he does not recall asking for their help specifically, but he spent all his energy feeling anxious and debating between a blue shirt and a white shirt, and he has none left to refuse their assistance.

And refusing their assistance proves to be a Herculean task, anyhow. As Sero thoughtfully plucks out his choice of outfit from the pile, Aoyama-kun is already pressing two shimmering, ruffly silk shirts against his front-one in lavender and one in white, styles of which remind Iida of flamboyant pirates in the 18th century. "_ Oui, mon ami! _And mon President does look like he needs our help desperately."

Soon, Iida finds himself forcibly dressed into vastly different outfits: first, the white lavender shirt with ruffles paired with high waisted tight pants, care of Aoyama.

"He looks really manly in that outfit, Aoyama!" Kirishima cheers-he's the only one who does, really. While most of the other boys look like they're on the verge of a fit of guffaws, the pitying look on Todoroki's face makes Iida want to weep the most.

"I mean, you're hot in it Prez, but I'm not sure if Hermes-kun can handle it," Kaminari says, barely keeping it together. "Next!"

Sero helps him out of the pants and into another pair just as tight, but this time in denim. This is paired with a trendy tank with a picture of the mountains and a triangle on it, a beanie, combat boots, and a bomber jacket.

The appraising looks from his classmates look just as harsh. "... yeah, it doesn't really… look right on him?" Midoriya mumbles. "Can you try slouching a little bit, Iida-kun?"

"That is impossible, Midoriya-kun!" Whilst he is familiar of the epidemic of unseemly posture amongst the youths, he is not about to compromise for the sake of that unhealthy fad! The mere suggestion is preposterous!

Although it is true that the overly trendy outfit is not compatible with his militarian stance.

Kirishima jumps up from his couch with a punch in the air. "All right, my turn! I'm gonna make you look so manly, Prez!"

And so he helps Iida out of the tight pants, and into a pair of thankfully loose joggers. This is paired with a blazing red tank top, wrist sweatbands, and a pair of sneakers. The outfit is remarkably comfortable, but...

"What the hell, Kiri, he isn't going to the gym," Sero deadpans with a criticising look.

"It's also November," Todoroki adds with the same expression. "It's likely that Iida will freeze to death if he goes out in that outfit."

"Eh? But I wore those to the mall a coupla days ago," Kirishima says with a pout. "Man, it's not fun being ganged up by Seroroki… say, Tokoyami, why don't you try to dress him up next?"

Their raven-haired classmate sighs darkly, but does as he is told with an unexpected earnestness. Iida soon finds himself rid of red, as well as all other colors as he is dressed in a black collared shirt, a black vest with criss-crossed leather ropes in the front, a black pair of tight pants (they seem to get tighter and tighter as they progress), and a pair of black boots. Just when he thinks the shorter boy was done dressing him up, he's suddenly posing a pencil to his eye almost threateningly.

"Dark eyeliner, to help you embrace the darkness further," Tokoyami explains plainly. "I can assist you with the rest of the make-up prior to your rendezvous."

"Tokoyami-kun! That's too much!" Midoriya cries and thankfully stops him just as the pencil has touched the inner edge of Iida's eye. "Also, I don't think all the black clothes really fit Iida-kun…"

"Yeah, he looks like he's going to a BABYMETAL concert," Kaminari says with a visible cringe. As Tokoyami mumbles something about not taking BABYMETAL lightly, the electric blonde is already piling up a set of clothes in his arms with alarming purple leopard print patterns and other shiny materials that makes Iida pale. "As it happens, though, it's my turn to dress up the Prez, so…"

Just then, someone stomps into the common room like a whirlwind. Somehow, Yoarashi Inasa is already right in front of them, piles of heavy clothes stacked in his huge arms and a big smile on his face. "President! Sorry I'm late! But I had to get these from a nearby specialty store just for you-"

Before Kaminari, Iida, or the rest of the group could say anything, he finds himself free of the tight, dark clothing and into something looser and decidedly more… traditional than expected.

"See? I think this is the best!"

The other boys gape at the dress change. "A wedding?!" they cry in unison.

Iida stiffly turns in the formal kimono set and silently asks for help from everyone with his eyes.

"No, see, look!" Yoarashi is the only person in class who can manhandle the usually sturdy Iida this way and that, and he demonstrates this just then to show off his handiwork. "Lookin' all proper, I bet Hermes-san's gonna swoon when they see ya walkin' in that fancy restaurant like this! Todoroki, you like things like this, right? You get what I mean, right?!"

Todoroki sighs in the long-suffering way he tends to do around Yoarashi. "It looks good on Iida, but it's not-"

"See?! This is fine, this is fine!"

"_ Whey _! Yoarashi you're unfair, we gotta see how the Prez looks like in _my _clothes first-"

"Dude, your clothes'll make the Prez look like some host from a shady nightclub-"

"H-hey, maybe my lucky All Might Hoodie Asakusa Edition will help-"

"_ Non non, _we cannot settle for a president who looks so gauche, leave it to _moi _-"

"Our President's appearance fits that of an agent of darkness, so surely my choice-"

The bickering amongst his comrades explode, leaving Iida in a confused, noisy haze. While he thought that asking for his comrades for help in this regard will enlighten him to better choices, in the end he's dressed in uncomfortable clothing that's not his and a lot more anxiety than when he began.

"No! Focus on the manliness factor you guys! Think of Hermes-chan-"

Yes, Hermes-kun… Yaoyorozu-kun. What would she think if she saw him in any of the outfits he'd tried so far? Would she think that he's trying too hard, or trying to little? Would her perfect nose wrinkle in distaste?

Clothing has never been a problem for Iida-kun before he met her. All of this effort is to impress her, to meet her expectations in some way, but it's impossible to chase such standards when he knows nothing of them in the first place!

"Iida-kun, you okay?"

Stepping away from the impending brawl, Ojiro smiles at Iida sympathetically and helps him out of the dark Haori that Yoarashi has supplied him.

He realizes just then how very _tired _he feels from all this, feeling anxious and stepping miles away out of his comfort zone. At the same time, letting other people do the work in getting him out there makes him feel a little ashamed of himself. "I appreciate everyone's efforts to help me out. However, I am not confident of the choices made for me so far. I do feel ungrateful for feeling as such, but…"

Ojiro shakes his head. "Don't be. Everyone's helping you, but you shouldn't wear or do anything you're uncomfortable with just because we say so. Uh, I know it isn't much coming from the plainest person out there," he laughs bashfully as he says this, as if he hates admitting the fact for himself, "but… you can try to dress flashily or be more exciting or whatever, but at the end of the day, I think a good person like Hermes-san will consider you for who you are, you know?"

Iida looks at Ojiro despairingly. "How can you say that with what little we know of Hermes-kun?_ " _

What if he dresses so awfully or talks so ridiculously or acts so clumsily that Yaoyorozu-kun would vow never to meet him again? He does not know whether his square-shaped heart can take such devastation!

Ojiro shrugs. "I'm just guessing? I mean, they admired you enough to give you that nice tea set, right?" He smiles so genuinely that somehow Iida imagines that were he to have a tail, said tail would wag reassuringly at him. "That must have taken a lot of thought from their side, and a lot of thought for you too. So I'm sure they liked you for who you are just fine."

Such wisdom! He may be refreshingly, undoubtedly plain in appearance, but there is nothing plain about the earnest wisdom from Ojiro-kun's mind!

Ojiro sighs. "I'm sure you didn't mean to say that out loud… but thanks, I guess?" He looks at the mess of clothing around them and grabs one. "Well… I mean, if you're still taking suggestions from everyone, maybe try mine?"

Iida truly has nothing to lose at this point, so he relents. After carefully removing the expensive kimono, Ojiro helps him in a blue cotton button-down shirt, straight-cut jeans, and boat shoes, all of them he double-checks with the taller boy to assure that he approves. The set is surprisingly similar to his first choice of clothing, although this time the blonde suggests not to button the buttons all the way, and to pair the outfit with a black sports jacket if it gets cold.

"... but if you're comfortable with it, maybe roll up the sleeves like this?" Ojiro says as he does just that for the taller boy.

Iida is so focused on Ojiro's suggestions that he notices belatedly that the arguments around them have subsided somehow. To his surprise, when they both look up at what was the rumpus of the other boys, they're looking at Iida over the upended furniture with stunned looks on their faces.

"Prez," Kirishima begins breathlessly, causing Iida some distress.

"You look…" Sero adds just as breathlessly. Even Ojiro looks nervous at this point.

"HANDSOME!" Yoarashi booms, the force of which threatens all the boys and nearby inanimate objects to topple over. "President! I change my mind! This look is the best on you!"

"Amazing, Iida-kun! I'm so proud of you!" Midoriya chimes in with a beam that can light up a hundred light bulbs. He also looks like he's on the verge of crying.

"Damn. _I'd _ask you out all over again, Prez!" Kaminari looks at him up and down appreciatively. "Nice one, Ojiro-kun! If you can do the Prez like that, how come you look so normal when you dress up?!"

"Is that so?" He tries his hardest not to blush. He does not know what to do with the words of praise coming from all directions.

Todoroki nods. "Yeah. You look comfortable in the clothing, for once. Plus this looks more like you."

And it feels more like him, if he were to be honest. Perhaps it helps that Ojiro-kun made sure that he was all right with his choices. And it definitely helps that the pants actually fit him well this time.

"That's just one part of the operation, though," the dual-toned boy says thoughtfully. "You did say you were worried about how to act and such."

Oh. That is true. He still has no idea about the conversation to make. Whether to bring gifts or flowers or the like. Whether he could act as buffoonish as their first meeting. Should he have even considered that?

"You're right, Todoroki!" Kirishima says as he rights one of the fallen sofas. "Damn, what do we do?! I don't know anything about that either!"

Aoyama gasps and flutters his eyelashes excitedly, as if he'd been waiting all night to speak of the subject. "You are all fortunate, then, that I can teach you all the basics of charm and etiquette!"

Kaminari scoffs at that. "No way man, if it's dealing with pretty people, ya gotta ask me about it-"

"Stand down, my kitschy friend~ _Je suis un professionnel _, let me handle this!"

Another argument erupts among them. Iida can only sigh and sit next to the just-as-weary Todoroki and the sympathetic Ojiro, and let the natural chaos unfold.

* * *

At the end of all the arguments, Iida has everyone fix the mess and head up to their rooms before curfew. They do oblige, but not without grumbling, and finally everyone is heading up to the blissful silence of their rooms, including him.

Midoriya and Todoroki see him before they go back to their rooms. "Are you gonna be okay, Iida-kun? You look really overwhelmed."

The green-haired boy looks worried, and rightfully so. After hearing one contradicting suggestion after the other, Iida's confidence admittedly has wavered. But he has worried his friends enough. "I shall be all right, once I rest."

They nod and leave him be, although it's plain to see that both of them remain unconvinced. Once they're gone, Iida retreats to the quiet of his bedroom and collapses on the bed, restless mind revelling in the silence.

He looks at his phone, realizing just then that he's ignored it for most of the day, and sees a single message sent ten minutes ago.

_YM: I've just confirmed our reservations :) I can't wait for tomorrow, Iida-san! _

It's strange how a single message with a pair of symbols meant to imitate a person's smile can cause such odd sensations to spread throughout his chest, cutting through the anxiety with ease. Would all of these troublesome feelings and all these leaps from his square-shaped comfort zone have been worth it, just to see that smile in person once more?

But of course. He smiles without restraint and sends a message back.

_Me: Neither can I, Yaoyorozu-kun! I look forward to seeing you again. _


	4. Lullaby of Birdland

**The Clumsy Square and the Lady Fair  
**Chapter 4: Lullaby of Birdland

* * *

Saturday soon comes. With a handful of well-wishes and aptly-ignored requests for compromising photos from their smallest classmate, the well-dressed, anxious Iida leaves the dorm two hours before schedule.

Shouto would have told him off for leaving so early, but he figured Iida would panic more if he went there any later than that. Despite having the most awkward start, his friend seems to be coming out of his shell of his own will. And while it's always expected of Iida to be earnest in everything he does, he has surprised Shouto in his efforts to change his usually inflexible self.

And it only took one encounter with Yaoyorozu to make that happen.

_Damn. _

Yaoyorozu Momo: a name and a face that he thought he left behind, along with the difficult stories of those years that he's not ready to face again. What are the chances that it's the same Yaoyorozu Momo from middle school? Maybe it's a different person-Momo is a common name for girls, after all, and even though Yaoyorozu is unusual, it's not unheard of for two different people to share an uncommon combination of names in Japan.

Shouto entertains his period of denial for exactly an hour after the reveal in Iida's room, but a quick search on Google confirms the truth: there is only one Yaoyorozu Momo who goes to Shiketsu High School, and it's the same one he knows. A piece in the lifestyle section of the local paper details how she got into the school by recommendation, how she was voted as class representative by a landslide, and how she's presently the prodigy of the Classical Music Club, among other things. A photo of her with her hands flying above piano keys quashes any further doubt in Shouto's mind.

It makes sense why Iida would be so enamoured with her on first sight. Back in middle school she's already had this refined air about her that makes anyone stop and stare. In her latest photos she's taller, more mature, prettier even. He could only imagine how different she appears in real life.

"Todoroki-kun?"

Shouto blinks out of his reverie to see a pair of concerned green eyes staring right at him.

"Oh, you're back online," Midoriya teases, freckled cheeks creasing as he smiles. "You okay? You've been spacing out a lot today!"

He grunts once, stares at his hands and the chopsticks laying dormant over his fingers. There's a bowl of steaming hot tempura udon under his nose.

Oh, they'd been eating, haven't they? Also, did he really get tempura udon? When did he order this?

"You said you're getting what I'm getting." Midoriya puts his soup spoon down and stares at him, now more concerned than ever. "You sure you're okay, Todoroki-kun? You're super distracted… ah, you're mad at Yoarashi for not being able to make it, aren't you? Please don't… he really can't help it that Pochi-kun got sick and he needed to take him to the vet…"

"Pochi-kun?" Shouto asks. "The St. Bernard?"

"No, the shih tzu," he clarifies. "The St. Bernard's name is Lisa-chan. The labradoodle is Mastodon. The golden retriever is Gachapon, and the three cute hybrid ones he adopted from the shelter are Nuggets, Cerberus, and Sumire-"

"Ah. It's fine." He isn't interested at all in Yoarashi's seven dogs, nor is he feeling miffed that the guy who forced him to eat udon when he could be eating zarusoba ended up ditching them.

To be honest, it's kind of good that he couldn't make it. It's not that he disliked their loudest classmate. He quite likes him, in fact, as overwhelming as his presence can get. But Shouto thinks that he couldn't handle having the boisterous Yoarashi around while his mind is in turmoil.

(Also, it's nice to have some time alone with Midoriya once in a while. Despite what Monoma has to say about it.)

Midoriya goes _ehh? _in that cute way he does when he doesn't believe what he says. "So why are you glum? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Shouto knows that his face doesn't change, but Midoriya looks convinced that it does, and gasps dramatically. "You are! What is it, Todoroki-kun? Wait…"

Dammit, Midoriya can't find out that he's hiding stuff about Yaoyorozu. If he somehow wheedles out that they knew each other long ago, then he'd have to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions about when and how and why and why have things ended up this way and he isn't sure how Midoriya would handle all of that.

Also, he isn't sure what to answer if he were to ask why he kept this all from Iida, because isn't that the first thing he should have told Iida that night? _Hey about Yaoyorozu, funny thing, when we were in middle school, we were actually friends until- _

"You're worried about Iida-kun, aren't you? About how he'll do today on his date with Hermes-san?" Midoriya asks, with an understanding smile.

Well. That's one way to put it.

Midoriya reads something on his face again that makes him agree and go off into a ramble. "I get you, Todoroki-kun. I'm pretty worried about him too! He _is _our best friend and all, and this is such a big deal for him, and I just want it to go well, you know? I mean, um… I know that he's a good guy and Hermes-san seems to be really good too so I just know they'll get along, but…"

The green-haired boy begins to mutter as a sense of normalcy falls between them. This is something he appreciates about Midoriya. He seems all right doing the talking for the two of them even without Shouto giving a polite reply each time.

Shouto is content to leave the issue at that and waits patiently for the udon to cool off. While Midoriya rambles on, he looks out the window of the restaurant passively and sees a familiar shock of blonde hair.

_Hey… isn't that… _

"-I'm sure he won't start to lecture Hermes-san about the controversies of school uniform fashions, but sometimes you never know what…"

"Midoriya."

It takes him one stern word in _that tone _to make Midoriya snap out of it. He looks mildly disoriented to be cut-off mid-ramble. "Yeah, Todoroki-kun?"

He points out the window. "That's Kaminari, isn't it?"

Midoriya blinks and stares at where Kaminari Denki is standing behind a telephone pole. He has a hood over his head, a pair of thick-rimmed glasses over the bridge of his nose and in general looks very, very suspicious. He doesn't seem to see Shouto or Midoriya from where he stands, as he is entirely focused on someone else along the street.

"What is he doing?"

The street is crowded so it's hard to see what he's seeing. But he moves eventually, comically attempting to act natural and failing.

Shouto frowns. "Is he stalking somebody?"

Midoriya shakes his head. "Ah, I don't think Kaminari-kun is capable of doing something so shady… Maybe he's just-"

Kaminari jumps behind a garbage can, earning him uneasy looks from the people walking past him. He doesn't seem fazed, however, and keeps his eye out to someone in front of him…

… a girl.

"Um," Midoriya begins, standing up from his seat. "You know what, just in case, maybe we should keep an eye out for him? Just to make sure he doesn't get hurt, or…"

Despite Midoriya practically living for it, Shouto hates meddling most of all. The green-haired boy believes that meddling in a situation when no-one asks you to is the essence of a hero, or something. He claims Yagi-sensei said something like that in the past when he was at the peak of his wrestling career. Shouto begs to disagree with something so irresponsible.

Midoriya leaves money on the counter and begins to move despite Shouto's express silent wishes to do otherwise. The dual toned boy finds that he has no choice but to follow him.

And so they find themselves out on the streets. For being such a meddler, Midoriya is very poor at being discreet, hiding behind dumpsters and telephone poles and parking meters much in the same way as Kaminari and garnering a number of looks that make Shouto uncomfortable. Still, they do not rouse the suspicions of the blonde boy in front of them, nor the girl in front of them…

… who seems to be doing the same shady stuff that the two of them are doing, funnily enough.

How the hell did his not-date with Midoriya on a rare free Saturday end up in stalking a stalker who's stalking a stalker? And who is that stalker stalking? Is it another stalker? Would he be surprised if it is? How far does this rabbit hole go?

"Todoroki-kun, why is Kaminari-kun stalking this girl?" Midoriya whisper-shouts indiscreetly as he flips himself behind a bus stop.

Shouto sighs. "It might be better to just go there and ask him. It'll be easier to stop him if he's doing something illegal."

"But he'll find out that we've been following him!"

It's a miracle he hasn't yet, really. Then again, Kaminari can be quite dense.

Anyway, there's no more damage to be had revealing themselves to Kaminari, so without another word Shouto walks up to where he's peeking behind a traffic light and prods his classmate at the shoulder. "Kaminari."

The blonde screams and does a funny pose which was meant to be threatening. The effect is lost by the ridiculous look on his face and the way he clamps his mouth immediately, realizing how loud and high-pitched his scream is. It takes him a while to recognize Shouto, and then Midoriya after him when he catches up.

"Jesus, it's just Buddyroki and Deku! My heart!" He lets out a relieved puff of air before he panics, and hides himself behind the taller Shouto. "What are you guys doin' here? Ah, actually to be honest I don't care, but why ya gotta sneak up on me like that, huh? I might lose the girl!"

The girl in question is still visible across the street, peeking at the edge of a nondescript office building. Shouto takes note of her appearance: 5'1" or thereabouts, probably their age, purple hair cut in a bob, asymmetric fringe covering triangular eyes, bulky headphones covering her ears. She's dressed in a Deep Dope band tank, tattered jeans, combat boots, like she's set to perform with her punk band at an illegal concert in a grimy tunnel somewhere.

"Kaminari-kun," Midoriya says with a pleading wheeze, "We saw you following her and we were kinda worried about you? What's going on, why are you following-"

"Ah, she's on the move!"

As soon as the lights turn green Kaminari jogs across the street, with Midoriya squeaking and puffing behind him. Shouto does a leisurely speedwalk and catches up to them easily as they reconvene behind a My Neighbor Totoro mascot.

The girl, in turn, hides behind another building. Impressively, she doesn't seem to be looking after anyone in particular, but just _listens _before she starts moving again.

"Kaminari-kun," Midoriya practically _begs _as they hide behind another building. "What's going on? Why are we following her? Do you know her?"

"Huh? Oh, no, this is the first time I've seen her ever," Kaminari answers with a blink of his empty eyes.

_Shady _, Shouto is about to say, before Kaminari shushes them, and finally explains himself when Midoriya tugs at his sleeve and refuses to back down. "Ugh, fine. I was just around lookin' for a place to buy a charger when I saw her hiding and stalking someone… she seemed interesting, so I started following her!"

The two boys stare at him. Kaminari sputters under their gaze.

"What-why are you looking at me like I'm trash? I'm not a creep!" he whines.

"Kaminari-kun," Midoriya says with that _disappointed _tone of voice that anyone would be defenseless against.

The effect is plain on Kaminari, who begins sputtering defensively. "Between the two of us she's the shadier one! I decided to follow her as a public service! You know, just in case she decides to murder someone after her stalking is done and someone needs to call the cops and-ahh!"

The girl turns into a major avenue, out of sight. Kaminari bolts ahead, Midoriya in pursuit. As Shouto follows them, he realizes that it'll be hard catching up to the girl because they're entering the Kiyashi Ward, at a high-end shopping district that's always busy on Saturdays.

Wait. Kiyashi Ward. Isn't that where Iida's meeting Yaoyorozu?

Well… at least by the time they slow down Shouto thinks that he doesn't need to worry about that anymore, because the street is crowded and Kaminari's looking around defeated. "Damn! We lost her!" he cries in despair as he pulls on the electric-bolt on his hair. "I can't believe how fast she moves! What is she, a professional creeper?!"

It takes one to know one. Midoriya looks relieved that they finally lost the girl. "In any case, Kaminari-kun, you should really give up on stalking her. We might get in trouble if..."

"I'm not stalking her. I'm just _watching _what's going on. That's different," the blonde protests, puffing his cheeks. "Wait… hey, maybe she went thataway?"

Before anyone can stop him, Kaminari moves towards the shadows. Midoriya is just about to run after him when a pair of hands with painted nails pulls him into an alleyway, followed by a distressed _"WHEY! _" that makes the pair run faster.

When they get to the alleyway, they find Kaminari pushed against the wall by The Girl, who looks angry beyond words. One hand is on Kaminari's neck, the other one posing the sharp point of… is that her headphone jack?... at the center of his neck.

"Who are you and why are you stalking me?!" the girl growls, poking him with the jack convincingly like a knife that makes Kaminari whimper.

"_ Whey! _Are you really gonna kill me with that thing?!" Kaminari has his hands up like he's being asked for all his money. "Midoriya! Todoroki! I told you she's gonna murder someone! Call the cops now!"

"What are ya talking about? This is self-defense, self-defense!" The girl glares at Midoriya, who squeaks as he fumbles for his phone. Was he really going to call the cops on this smaller girl? "Actually, _I _should call the cops on you creeps! You guys are more of _her _deranged fans, aren't ya?!"

"N-no miss, I swear we weren't stalking!" Midoriya stammers, desperately looking at Shouto for back-up.

He seems to be the only one there capable of logical thought and comprehensible speech, so he sighs and explains. "We aren't fans of anyone. Kaminari saw you following someone, so he watched what you'd do. Midoriya and I tried to stop him."

The girl doesn't look any less incensed at that, so he adds, "Yes it's ridiculous. Sorry we weren't able to stop him."

Kaminari looks at him as if he'd betrayed him. "I swear it was public service! I mean, I know, _technically _I was stalking, but you stalked first! I did this in a vigilante attempt to keep the peace in this town-"

The girl scoffs, but thankfully loosens her hold on Kaminari. "Vigilante my ass. I bet if I hadn't caught your asses red-handed, who knows what you could have done to Yaomomo-"

_Yaomomo? _

"Hold it, I swear we don't know who Yaomomo is!" Kaminari has the gall this time to point an accusing finger at the girl's face. "And between us, you're the shadier one who's ackin' like this Yaomomo's stalker!"

"For your information, I'm Yaomomo's _friend. _There's nothing shady about making sure that my _best friend _is-"

"Oh~? Is that so?" Kaminari goes full _whey _mode and stares at her right in the eyes in a weird effort to be more intimidating. "So tell me, miss Yaomomo's-best-friend, if that is your real name, what's up with the creepy hiding-behind-buildings stunt you're pulling, huh? It's creepy how high and mighty you're acting when you're the one creepin' like a megacreep!"

Kaminari really shouldn't drop _creepy _a lot when he literally did the exact same creepy things, but the intimidation game seems to be working on the purple-haired girl. She snarls, "I'm not being a megacreep! I had to make sure that Yaomomo's okay, okay? I mean… she was acting like so weird in class, and she wouldn't give me clear answers about where she's going…"

Midoriya makes a sound of understanding. "Oh, I see! So you were just worried about your friend!" Bright and sunny and unassuming, he effortlessly cuts the tension between the arguing couple in half. "See, Kaminari-kun, she isn't being shady! Ah, but miss…?"

He looks at the girl, who instantly looks at ease with him. "Jirou," she answers.

"Jirou-san," Midoriya says with a bow. He stammers a quick introduction for the three of them before continuing, "Is there a reason why you think you think Yaomomo-san might be in danger?"

That name again. _Yaomomo. _Why does Shouto feel a sense of foreboding when he hears it?

Jirou sighs in exasperation. "W… well… maybe danger is too strong a word?" She twiddles her fingers with her earphone jack before she mutters, "it's just that, she has a lot of shady admirers, and she recently had bad stuff happen to her because of stupid guys, and then out of nowhere she tells me that she's seeing this guy from some all boys' school on the other side of town! It's weird, the timing is too soon and I'm scared that she's too sheltered to know that she's being played, so-"

Shouto feels his stomach turn as slowly he answers an equation he doesn't want to unravel. "Jirou. This might sound strange… but could you be from Shiketsu?"

Jirou turns pale, and he instantly knows that he's hit the jackpot.

"Todoroki-kun… how would you know that?" Midoriya asks carefully.

He and Kaminari are gaping at him. Wait, does this make _him _sound like the stalker? Because it's ridiculous, if anything he's the only person in this alleyway who's desperate to mind his own business.

By the slightly frightened look on Jirou's face though, this situation just got really, really bad. He doesn't know how to explain himself at this point, so he gives up on that idea and instead shakes his head. "It doesn't matter, we aren't supposed to be here. The three of us should leave now."

"Wait, you can't just-" Kaminari sputters, looking momentarily vindicated that he and Jirou aren't the only creepy ones in that alleyway, "Hey, could it be that you know this Yaomomo personally?"

Between affirming their suspicions and denying it with a grandiose lie he can't formulate right now, Shouto chooses to outright ignore his accusations. He should just stop wasting time and physically drag Midoriya and Kaminari out of that alleyway before-

Jirou, however, cuts him off with a minute squeal. "Keep it down! She's here!"

Midoriya and Kaminari give him a look that tells him he isn't off the hook yet, until they look in the direction Jirou has given her full, eagle-eyed attention to.

And who they see is exactly who Shouto expects.

Yaoyorozu Momo, taller and more regal than he last remembered her. She's in a ruby red dress paired with low heels and a jacket. Her trademark spiky ponytail is as spiky as ever, swaying charmingly as she moves elegantly within the crowd. Her whole person practically _shimmers _under the lamp lights.

"Pretty," Midoriya breathes. The people who pass by all seem to mumble the same thing as they cross paths.

"Damn, that's 'Yaomomo'?" Kaminari whispers with a low whistle. "What the hell, is she really in high school? Is she really from around here? She looks like an angel, that's not right!"

Jirou pinches his arm, making him whimper. "You're right about her being an angel, but also, shut up. She's going to meet the guy any second now."

Shouto wonders about the chances of Iida being late to this date. Or for anything in this world, for that matter. He knows that practically speaking the chances are smaller than small and that there's no way that he is, unless a meteor were to fall from the sky in the next few moments.

Which doesn't happen. Yaoyorozu's face lights up in recognition as she waves to a familiar square-shaped friend, who waves back-

"Wait… that's Iida-kun…?" Midoriya stammers, rubbing his eyes.

Jirou turns to Midoriya with a scandalized look in her purple eyes. "Yeah, that's his name! Wait… you guys know the guy Yaomomo's dating?!"

Kaminari also rubs his eyes in disbelief. "Oi, oi, oi. Are you telling me that the Prez… that Hermes-chan... that they're…?" He looks at everyone, dull eyes barely comprehending anything going on. "Wait, what universe am I in right now?"

Shouto doesn't know what else to do but put his palm to his face. "Yeah. I figured," he mutters with a sense of defeat.

In front of them, Yaoyorozu bows politely, and Iida bows many more times than necessary in perfect 90 degree angles.

_"Here are stargazers, Yaoyorozu-kun! In the Victorian language of flowers, they mean purity, spirituality, and the celebration of the 30th year wedding anniversary of couples!... but that's not to say-i mean, we are not a wed couple, so-" _

Everyone expects her to cringe, but Yaoyorozu practically _glows. "Thank you, Iida-san. They're lovely, and the chocolates, as well…" _

_"Yes! These are recommended highly by my schoolmate, a self-styled Francophile who has a taste for French and Belgian pastries- _seriously, what kinda people go to your school?! And by the way, why are you still hanging 'round here?!"

Jirou stops her impromptu dub/lip-reading session to glare at the boys spying next to her. It's a little disconcerting that she stopped midway, because to be fair she's good at it. Shouto almost forgets that they actually can't hear what the two are saying from this distance.

Kaminari makes a face and presses forward despite Jirou shoving him away. "We're looking after the Prez of course! I mean, now that I know that the company Hermes-chan keeps comprises of punk rock stalkers with shady motives-"

"I could say the same thing about this Prez of yours," Jirou grumbles.

"-it's our duty as his faithful subjects to protect him from dishonor!" Kaminari finishes with a flourish and looks to Midoriya and Shouto for support. Which he does not find immediately, causing him to falter. "... really, you guys? Are you just gonna let Jirou sabotage the Prez's date like this?"

Shouto stares at him sharply. "We're already sabotaging his date by being here. We should all leave."

Jirou goes _pfft. _"Well, _I'm _not leaving. I don't care if it's sabotage. I'll sabotage _any _date if it means that I can keep Yaomomo away from shady boys from shady high schools like you guys."

Kaminari gasps in offense. "So that means _I'm _not leaving either! I won't have anyone sully the good President's name like this-"

As the two continue to bicker, Midoriya tugs on Shouto's sleeve. "We can't just leave Kaminari-kun here," he mutters with wide, anxious green eyes. "I mean… what if he does something, you know, _Kaminari-like, _and Iida-kun and Hermes-san see?"

"That won't happen," Shouto tells him confidently. Yaoyorozu and Iida speak with the maitre'd of the restaurant and are soon escorted inside. Shouto thinks that their problems should be solved at this point, because there's no way that any of them are getting in such a fancy, popular place like Awase's without a reservation.

That is, until he realizes that Jirou and Kaminari have inexplicably gone from being on the verge of beating each other senseless to plotting as if they're longtime partners in old-timey crime. "Okay, so I pretend to see a bee and start screaming and while they're preoccupied, you look at the guest list, pretend that you're one of those yuppies, and then we-"

Shit. Midoriya is right. He can't leave these two alone in good conscience.

He sighs. He can't believe that things have come down to this. So much for a quiet Saturday with Midoriya. He steps forward, fumbling for the wallet in his back pocket, and motions for them to follow him quietly.

The three look at each other incredulously, but follow him like quizzical baby ducks. Shouto walks past irritable adults waiting in line and heads right to the maitre'd. "Good evening," he says, ignoring how the maitre'd wrinkles his nose at them, "We'd like a table for four people."

"This place is reservation only," the server says, not being subtle about his distaste for the group's manner of dress. He doesn't blame him, this really isn't a t-shirt and jeans kinda place, and the fact that they look like a group of rowdy teenagers up to trouble must be unsettling.

"I understand, but," Shouto says, taking out his ID. "Chef Awase has assured us that we can come here anytime regardless."

Just one look at _Todoroki _makes the maitre'd pale and gape and choke on his spit and transform into the most hospitable servant in the world in the span of 2 seconds. "Of course, Todoroki-sama. Right this way-"

He feels his three companions gape at him stupidly as they're suddenly flanked by two other servers who are suddenly ready to wait on them hand and foot. Before they are brought to their seats, Shouto instructs them to bring them to the quietest corner of the restaurant, and so they are lead to a booth at the darkest part of it with a full view of the rest of the place. The four of them shove themselves unceremoniously over the luxurious seats, with Midoriya significantly flustered and Kaminari and Jirou mildly impressed.

"Seriously, who are you?" Jirou asks in suspicion. "Are you like a prince or something?"

"And this place is seriously fancy, Buddyroki," Kaminari says, gingerly holding a page of the menu, with its ostentatious meals and exorbitant prices. "Can we really…"

Shouto nods. "Yeah, just order whatever. I'll take care of it as long as the two of you don't cause a scene."

Kaminari looks like he's about to do a scene-causing victory whoop but is immediately silenced by Jirou's elbow. "Shut up, Jammin' Whey, don't forget our targets!"

"J-jammin' Whey? And duh, of course I haven't forgotten about the Prez…"

The two immediately proceed to spy on their so-called targets behind their menus. Midoriya looks at Shouto in disdain, fully realizing that his attempt at meddling has come too far. Well, there isn't anything to do about this now, is there?

With that, they watch quietly as the clueless Iida and Yaoyorozu take their seats and begin to talk.

* * *

Objectively speaking, the date is a disaster so far.

To think that the evening began relatively well. Iida made a fool of himself when he first saw Yaoyorozu Momo-kun outside. She's breathtaking in every way, more than he ever remembered, and he felt his brain functions come to a literal stop when she directed her angelic smile at him. He managed to present her with flowers and chocolates as Aoyama-kun had instructed him, along with a lot of unnecessary information that thankfully seemed to entertain her. They had gone to the restaurant without any troubles and even obtained a nice seat near the stage, where a jazz band is set to perform later that evening that Yaoyorozu-kun seemed to be looking forward to.

And that's all the good that has happened to their date so far.

As soon as they take their seats, Iida tells himself to 'un-square,' as his classmates have insisted, but he soon forgets what that means. Does he loosen up or straighten out? Does he round himself up like a cat, or stay perfectly still so he doesn't embarrass himself? What will he do? Does he look superlatively square right now? Is Yaoyorozu-kun off-putted by all of this?

"I'm looking forward to this," Yaoyorozu-kun tells him with a beautiful smile, and he responds with utter nervous silence that makes her falter.

He stares at the menu. All the dishes were written in a smattering of foreign languages that makes little sense in his mind. He knows he ought to ask the server about them, but when one of them comes to take their order, Yaoyorozu takes the lead in ordering about six dishes in a fluent mix of French and German which leaves him mesmerized and speechless.

"And for the gentleman?" the server asks, already disconcerted about how silent he's being.

He swallows and asks, "Would you happen to have… beef stew?" because his brain can come up with nothing else.

The server blinks. "We have beef bourgignon, blanquette de veau, as well as callos…"

Iida stares at him blankly for some time until Yaoyorozu clears her throat politely and says, "The beef bourgignon should be good, thank you."

"Lovely choice," the server says, looking relieved as he leaves. This leaves him alone with Yaoyorozu, who is still smiling at him, albeit less brilliantly than before.

"Are you alright, Iida-san?" she asks, concerned. "You seem a little anxious."

"Oh not at all! I am fine, completely fine!" Iida blurts out. Unfortunately one robot arm breaks free of his control and karate-chops the air between them in a very Square-like fashion, enough to startle her.

She leans back, eyes wide, and Iida is left helpless to do nothing but gape at his hand and curse at his stupidity.

She clears her throat again to break the awkward silence between them. "Well, if you say so." She tries another smile that he doesn't deserve and asks, "So do you like the restaurant? It's one of my favorite places!"

It is indeed a nice restaurant. High class in every way, but not pretentious despite the Michelin star it has been awarded with. Iida wants to say so, yet all he is able to manage is a stiff, "Yes. Quite."

"Oh," Yaoyorozu says, ponytail deflating. "I'm glad you think so."

Iida desperately tries to sift through the non-square conversation starters that Aoyama-kun has taught him the night before but comes up with nothing. Yaoyorozu seems to attempt to do the same thing, but coming up with an interesting reply to her polite questions suddenly becomes too challenging for him to do.

Oh, what a disaster this is! Iida, why are you such a failure at being anything other than a clumsy square?

The food finally comes, relieving them of the uneasy stretch of silence between them. The server places the beef bourgignon in front of Iida and six dishes in front of Yaoyorozu. Instantly, the grave air between them brightens as she looks at all her food happily. "Oh… all of these look lovely!" she exclaims with genuine excitement.

She looks so _bouncy _as she daintily appreciates all the food in front of her that Iida softens. Miraculously erases all anxieties in his square heart, even.

"Indeed, Yaoyorozu-kun! What an impressive amount of food!"

She stares at him with an unreadable expression on her face, and he realizes that once more he has committed a square-ish blunder. He begins to sputter, "No, I do not mean to insinuate that it is _too much _-I mean, just that a young woman with a constitution such as yours, I certainly did not expect-"

Oh _no, _he's done it, he's insulted her and what's more, his hands are doing that embarrassing square thing. This date is unsalvageable at this point, Yaoyorozu-kun is rightfully insulted and would never wish to see him again, and-

She giggles at his comment. "It's fine, Iida-kun! I do eat a lot, don't I? Mother tells me that it's unladylike, but..."

He freezes, surprised that she doesn't seem insulted in any way. "No, there is nothing unladylike about eating to your capacity! In fact, as I have said, it is quite impressive! It shows a passion for food that you should pride yourself!"

"You think so?" She begins to look different at this time. Less uneasy, less self-conscious as she takes one of her first dishes closer to her. "Is it obvious that I'm a foodie?"

"A 'foodie'?" Iida asks.

She looks amused, and he wonders if it's because he's a silly fool who knows nothing about modern slang. "A person interested in food. In my case, _obsessed _with it. I go out of my way to try out new restaurants when I can, even though Mother tells me off a lot for wanting to try places that aren't rated by a European system."

"Really? That's unfortunate that your mother disagrees with your interests!" Iida declares honestly. "While I do understand concerns about sanitation and safety and such, and implore you to at least look at the health inspector ratings of a certain restaurant and scout its location, you should have the freedom to explore your interests without fear!"

She laughs. "You're a pretty thorough fellow, aren't you, Iida-san? Being concerned about cleanliness and order and all…"

"Ah!" Too square, too square! Remedy this immediately! "No, that's-"

"No, it's okay! I'm relieved that you're finally relaxing," she says with a grin. "Please don't worry too much. You can be yourself around me."

He's in danger of forgetting himself the way she's just sparkling in front of him like the purest Boddhisatva. As expected of Yaoyorozu-kun! You truly are amazing!

They begin their meal and thankfully slip into a conversation that neither feels forced nor awkward. Yaoyorozu tells him about her life as a student and he does the same. He finds out that apart from student council work, she plays the piano for classical music club. She, in turn, finds out that he can run really fast.

It doesn't sound interesting in his head, but she's genuinely fascinated by this. "I never would have guessed that you were such an accomplished athlete, Iida-san. I couldn't imagine myself going through such strict training!"

"Ah! But it isn't as impressive as what you can do, Yaoyorozu-kun!" he declares. "To be able to command such a technical instrument as a piano, and to regularly perform concertos for your school isn't something to scoff at!"

Strangely, her smile in response to that seems… _pained. _"I suppose so?" She looks left to right before half-whispering in a playful, conspiratorial way: "Between the two of us, though, I'd really… rather _not _."

He blinks in surprise. "Oh! That's…"

"I know, I'm terrible!" She says with a self-deprecating smile. "I mean, I don't hate music… I grew up with it. Mother used to be a star in the opera world so I have no choice but to like it."

He looks at her carefully. "Could it be that you dislike the piano? Perhaps you prefer a different instrument?"

She shakes her head vehemently. "Oh no! I love the piano! I don't think I'd be myself if I'm unable to play anymore!"

Iida makes a thoughtful sound. "If not the piano, then is the source of your displeasure the type of music you play?"

She bites her lower lip and nods quietly, as if she's suddenly ashamed to admit as much. "Yes… and my parents dislike it. It's silly to want to play something else, I know, but-"

"No, I do not find this silly at all!" How strange it is to see her like this! Iida feels more conflicted than he ought to as he tries reassuring her. "Music is music, and music other than classical music should be considered as such! You have nothing to be ashamed of, Yaoyorozu-kun!"

Hearing him say something that sounds so simple to him makes her brighten up considerably. "Iida-san... you have no _idea _how happy I am to hear that. No-one has ever..." she says with emotion.

He smiles at her. "Out of curiosity, what sort of music do you prefer to play, Yaoyorozu-kun?"

"Jazz," she answers easily, with a twinkle in her eye that tells him that this is something she loved with all her heart. "It's definitely far from what people are used to hearing from me, but I do love how it sounds…"

He eyes the piano at the stage and says, "Amazing, Yaoyorozu-kun! Were I to have the opportunity to do so, I'm sure it will be an _honor _to hear you play the music that is close to your heart!"

She shakes her head. "Thank you for your sentiment, Iida-san, but it's impossible. I can't-"

"Why the hell not?" someone says from behind him. "Play somethin', that piano's not gonna play itself."

Yaoyorozu looks up in pure surprise before breaking out into a smile. "Awase-san, hello!"

He looks behind him and sees a boy their age with dark hair, sharp eyes, and a giant headband covering his forehead. He regards Iida with some interest before turning to her. "Hey, Yaoyorozu. Long time. And, nice to meet you, Yaoyorozu's date."

"It is, indeed! Oh, by the way, Iida-san, this is Awase Yosetsu-san, a friend of mine from way back…"

Awase-san… Awase-san?

"Ah! The owner!" Iida stands abruptly, almost knocking down Awase in his haste. He babbles an apology at the flabbergasted boy and bows in front of him. "I apologize for my rudeness! I am Iida Tenya, 15 years old, and tonight I am accompanying Yaoyorozu Momo-kun for dinner in your highly esteemed-"

"Whoa, easy there buddy!" Awase says with an amused laugh. "No need to be so formal, okay? I'm not the owner, my dad is. I'm just his dropout kid who likes messing around with instruments from time to time."

_A dropout! _Iida wants to declare in shock, his blood pressure momentarily rising due to this boy's disregard of a formal education.

"Please don't describe yourself as such, Awase-san," Yaoyorozu tells him sternly. "He dropped out of regular schooling to study in a conservatory. Did you know, Iida-san, his band is already gaining fame in the city? And they're our age! Amazing, right?"

"Indeed!" Iida agrees, relieved that this Awase Yosetsu cares about education after all. "You are performing tonight, I suppose! Set to play in precisely five minutes, I believe! I look forward to listening to you and your cohort!"

Awase makes an uneasy face. "Yeah, about that… you guys are gonna wait a bit. Tsuburaba and Kaibara-the guy on trumpet and drums-they're gonna be late. We definitely won't be able to entertain this joint with just me and the singer."

"Oh no… and I was so excited to let Iida-san hear your band!"

He shrugs. "Shit happens. But we don't have to keep the audience waiting in silence, ya know."

He looks meaningfully at the piano on the stage, back at Yaoyorozu, and raises his eyebrows. In turn, Yaoyorozu shakes her head and lets out an exasperated sigh, and begins to turn away. "No."

Awase sighs. "Come on, are you going to deny these people good music?" He gestures to Iida, who squares up instinctively. "You wanna hear her play, right Iida? I specifically heard you say that it would be an honor to hear her play, or somethin' like that."

He looks at Yaoyorozu, who has her arms crossed, hands hidden protectively within. "Well, it certainly would be, but… if Yaoyorozu-kun is uncomfortable… I understand if she does not want to."

While he would probably float to the heavens watching Yaoyorozu do something she really loved, he would never force her to do anything she's uncomfortable with. Amidst Awase's complaints, he notices her soften, ponytail twitching in interest as she slowly turns to him and carefully examines his face.

He wonders whether he has developed a strange growth on his face for her to stare at him so intently. But another beat of silence later, she suddenly opens her mouth to speak. "... if Iida-san wants me to play… then I will."

Awase cheers, while Iida looks on in shock. "Well, do you or do you not want to, Iida? You wanna see this piano genius play, right?"

"Y… yes, of course I do, it's an honor, a true honor!"

"You know it-Yo, Pony, get up here! We're on in a few!"

Suddenly abandoning their half-eaten meals in favor of the stage, Iida finds himself trailing behind an overexcited Awase and a somewhat reluctant Yaoyorozu. A blonde girl, who was having a milkshake at a booth somewhere, gallops her way to the stage and looks up to Awase questioningly.

"_ Geez, Yosetsu, what are you talking about _?" she says in English, with an American accent. "Are Tsuburaba and Kaibara already here? Oh," she says, finally noticing Iida and Yaoyorozu and giving them a pretty smile. " _Howdy, y'all! _Are the two of you jamming with us?"

Iida shakes his head vehemently. To his surprise, Yaoyorozu does the same. "Awase-san! I was just planning to play Pachelbel while waiting for the others-"

"What? Why would I ask you to play somethin' boring like that?" Awase says, as he takes out a violin out of its case and begins to tune it. "You're playing with us, of course!"

As the two other band members prepare themselves, Yaoyorozu tugs Iida's sleeve and looks at him with pure anxiety shining in her dark eyes. "Iida-san," she whispers, voice trembling in a way he didn't expect her usually confident self to, "I've never played jazz in front of a crowd before."

She really does look uneasy. Iida feels a twinge in his heart seeing her so. "If you don't want to play, that's fine! I am content to hear you play another day, if that's what you want!"

"Really?" she says. She looks just about ready to stand up and leave the stage, and Iida would have assisted her back to their seats if that were the case.

"But," he finds himself saying suddenly, before she could make another move. "I have a feeling that everyone here will be amazed hearing you play the music that you really love."

She stays still on her seat, eyes shining meaningfully at him. She looks at her shoulder, where he had placed his hand as a comforting gesture (ah, when did he do that?! The audacity!).

This comforts her, though, and somehow she's able to smile at him and nod. "All right. I believe you, Iida-san. Please watch me."

He smiles at her, and steps to the side of the stage.

"So, Momo," the singer named Pony says, microphone in hand. "Me and Yosetsu can pretty much play most of the standards. What do you want to play?"

Yaoyorozu inhales nervously and tells her, "Well, one of my favorites is Lullaby of Birdland. Is that alright?"

Awase and Pony look at each other and grin. "You got it, sugar! Anytime you're ready!" the blonde says brightly.

The rest of the restaurant suddenly fall silent when they realize that they're about to start the set. Iida feels the weight of their gazes and worries that Yaoyorozu-kun might be overwhelmed.

She takes a deep breath, looks at Iida one last time. She smiles at him nervously, and he does the same.

And then, she begins to play.

_Lullaby of birdland, that's what I  
Always hear when you sigh _

Pony's voice floats over the restaurant, sweet and hypnotizing as she sings each note clearly. All eyes are on her, and Iida hears everyone murmur about how enrapturing her voice is.

_Never in my word-land could there be ways to reveal  
_In a phrase, how I feel-

But all Iida can focus on is Yaoyorozu Momo-kun, her fingers on the keys, the notes that she plays. Nervous at first, fumbling for the rhythm. But as the song goes on and the tempo rises, she visibly relaxes, and allows the music to take over.

The notes become more playful and upbeat, and with each note, Iida sees Yaoyorozu smile more and more, her eyes glowing in excitement. After a few more verses, Awase joins them with his violin. Iida couldn't understand the structure of their song immediately, if there is one, but all the notes are perfect and in-time with each other.

Most important of all, Yaoyorozu looks like she's truly enjoying herself.

He catches himself clapping in-time to the song. He's the first one to do it and he's embarrassed to realize so, but then Pony joins him with a laugh, and soon the rest of the restaurant claps along with them.

The song ends with much applause all over the restaurant. There were calls for encores from some of the guests, and very loud _bravo, bravo, bravissimos! _that made the musicians on stage falter.

… oh. That's him, he's the one screaming and clapping the loudest from the side of the stage. He blushes at his audacity and momentarily considers crawling underneath the floorboards in shame, but Yaoyorozu's grateful smile makes him change his mind.

Ah, how lovely it is to see her so happy! Truly an experience in itself!

"That's Yaoyorozu Momo on the piano, ladies and gentlemen!" Pony cheers, and more applause come. "The TsuburaBand will come on stage soon, so I hope you stay and listen! We love you!"

"We really gotta work on our band name," Awase mutters as the three of them reconvene with Iida. "But you killed it back there, Yaoyorozu! Nice!"

"Really?" Yaoyorozu says, blushing. "I thought I didn't have enough swing at first…"

"But you were amazing, Momo!" Pony gushes happily. "You should jam with us again, please? Yosetsu plays the piano for us too, but he isn't as good as you~"

"I agree!" From behind them, two other boys their age walk up to them, looking equal parts harried and amazed. The one with very wide eyes practically stumbles over his feet and bows in front of Yaoyorozu. "Hi, we haven't met before, but I'm already begging you to join our band, please, piano goddess-"

Yaoyorozu stammers at this and looks at Iida for support. He's just as speechless as her, however.

"Tsuburaba, you're overwhelming her," the other one with sharp eyes scolds. He holds his hand out to Yaoyorozu and shakes her hand. "I'm Kaibara. And I agree, that was pretty amazing. It'd be nice to play with you too."

"It's nice to meet you! I'm honored that such a talented band would think that way of me," Yaoyorozu answers bashfully. "I didn't think I could do it, to be honest!"

"Yeah… and it only took me years to convince you to finally play something other than classical," Awase says in fake exasperation. "Ah, correction. I guess all we needed was emotional support from your boyfriend all this time, huh?"

Something in Iida's brain sparks and causes a system-wide malfunction. "B-b-_ BOYFRIEND? _Y-y-you misunderstand, Awase-kun, Y-yaoyorozu-kun and I are simply getting to know each other-"

In the midst of his wild gesticulations and blatherings, Yaoyorozu blushes just as wildly as he does, but does little to deny anything. "Please don't tease us! It's just as Iida-san says," she says.

Is that a bashful smile she hides behind her mouth? The band may be laughing at his expense at this point, but that little smile makes Iida want to leap to the moon.

"I like this guy!" Awase says, patting Iida on the back. "Anyways, you two should sit back, relax, get back to your date… and let us blow your minds, all right?"

Awase signals for the band to start setting up, and Iida and Yaoyorozu come back to their seats. He observes her as she catches her breath, one delicate hand coming up to the center of her chest, as if to stop the racing of her heart then.

She turns to him questioningly. "Was it really alright, Iida-san?"

"You were wonderful, Yaoyorozu-kun!" he answers without hesitation. It's probably the most marvelous sound he's ever heard. He's sure that more marvelous sounds are to come.

She smiles at him brightly, and his heart feels like exploding once more. How many of those smiles will catch him off-guard like this?

The music plays once more, and they sit by each other's side, content with their close proximity.

* * *

Eventually, the two of them leave the restaurant, with Iida fretting over the logistics of Yaoyorozu's journey home. They pass the doorway, not sparing a glance to the noisy group shrinking themselves into the darkness of their secret booth.

Jirou releases a loud breath when the couple is out of sight. "Oh my god I can't believe it! That wasn't bad at all, wasn't it?"

Kaminari imitates her, dramatically collapsing over the table next to a stack of empty plates. "Yeah! That went unexpectedly well!"

Midoriya imitates them both and rubs his green perm. "You're right! I thought their date looked awkward at first, but then they weren't and then Hermes-san started playing on stage and that was so amazing and Iida-kun was just so supportive and cool and… they just, they look good together, don't they, Todoroki-kun?"

Todoroki hums in agreement. Mutterings aside, Midoriya summed up their date pretty well. Iida exceeded his expectations, that much is obvious. What he didn't expect more than that was Yaoyorozu stepping up like that. It looks like she changed a lot since they last saw each other.

Jirou scoffs. "Yeah, this Prez of yours seems like a good guy and all, but I was actually talking about spying on them and watching out for evil boys," she says, narrowing her eyes at Kaminari.

Kaminari also scoffs. "So you continue to distrust our President? Aren't you convinced that Hermes-chan is in good, square hands with him?"

Jirou humphs and straightens up. "It is only the first date! My mission is not yet done!"

"Then _my _mission isn't done yet, either!"

"Is that so!"

"Yes that is so!"

"Fine!" Jirou shoves her phone in Kaminari's face. "Gimme your LINE and tell me about their next date!"

"Fine!" Kaminari rapidly types his number in the phone, and similarly shoves his phone in Jirou's face. "Your turn! And put a cute emoji next to your name!"

Shouto wonders if they're actually still bickering or flirting aggressively at this point. He rubs his forehead free of the headache that threatens to form there when Midoriya tugs on his sleeve again.

He meets focused green eyes and a questioning glance. "So… about earlier… you definitely know Yaoyorozu-san from before, right?"

He's at least considerate enough to ask this in a soft voice so the other two won't hear. Shouto sighs. "I'll tell you about that later. Give me some time."

Midoriya seems geniuinely baffled by his response, but lets him be. The bill comes after, one that will have Endeavor's blood pressure rise to Everest levels that only makes Shouto cringe a little.

"Oh well," he says, putting in Endeavor's credit card in the sleeve. One problem at a time.

* * *

**AN: **This chapter features "Lullaby of Birdland," popularized by Ella Fitzgerald. :) thanks for reading this so far! reviews are appreciated!


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